Toxic metal-contaminated water is a major threat to sustainable agriculture and environment. Plants have the natural ability to absorb and concentrate essential elements in its tissues from water solution, and this ability of plants can be exploited to remove heavy/toxic metals from the contaminated water. For this purpose, two plants Veronica anagallis-aquatica and Epilobium laxum were hydroponically studied. The effect of different fertilizers (NPK) and plant growth regulators (GA₃ and IAA) were evaluated on growth, biomass, free proline, phenolics, and chlorophyll contents, and their role in Cd phytoaccumulation was investigated. Results showed that in both plants, fertilizer addition to media (treatment T4) produced the highest significant increase in growth, biomass (fresh and dry), cadmium concentration, proline, phenolics, and chlorophyll concentrations. The significant effect of GA₃ in combination with NPK foliar spray (treatment T12) was observed on most of the growth parameters, Cd concentration, and proline and phenolic contents of the plants. The free proline and total phenolics showed positive correlation with cadmium concentration within plant tissues. Proline showed significantly positive correlation with phenolic contents of root and shoot. Veronica plant demonstrated the hyperaccumulator potential for cadmium as bioconcentration factor (BCF >1) which was much higher than 1, while Epilobium plant showed non-hyperaccumulator potential. It is recommended for further study to investigate the role of Veronica plant for other metals and to study the role of phenolics and proline contents in heavy metal phytoextraction by various plant species.

Phytoremediation is a promising alternative to conventional soil clean-up methods; however, up to date, there is still not enough information on plant species suitable for application in this field of science. Therefore, plant screening on contaminated sites can lead to the identification of further species of interest. In the present study, pedological and botanical characteristics of an industrialised area known for its metal contamination, in special with Zn—Esteiro de Estarreja, in Portugal—were examined in a 1-year screening. Twenty-seven species were found, with a higher occurrence and variability in the summer/spring season. Zinc levels in the tissues of the collected plant samples ranged from 34 mg kg−1 in shoots to 2,440 mg kg−1 in roots of different species. Species as Verbascum virgatum, Hypochoeris radicata, Phalaris arundinacea, Conyza bilbaoana, Paspalum urvillei and Aster squamatus have shown high Zn shoot accumulation and bioconcentration factors (BCFshoots > 1) and high metal translocation factors (TF > 1). Others, namely Spergularia capillacea, excluded Zn from the shoot tissues and stored the metal at the root zone (BCFroots > 1), behaving as tolerant plants. Plants were also screened for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi colonisation, and only few species showed mycorrhizal presence, namely C. bilbaoana, Hirschfeldia incana, Epilobium tetragonum, Conyza sumatrensis, Pteridium aquilinum, P. urvillei and A. squamatus. The present work showed important indigenous species that can cope with installed harsh conditions and with potential for utilisation in phytoremediation strategies, either through metal removal to aerial parts or through its immobilisation in the root zone.