Short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) are ubiquitously present as persistent organic pollutants in the environment. However, little information on the interaction of SCCPs with plants is currently available. In this work, young pumpkin plants (Cucurbita maxima × C. Moschata) were hydroponically exposed to the congener of chlorinated decane, 1,2,5,5,6,9,10-heptachlorodecane (1,2,5,5,6,9,10-HepCD), to investigate the uptake, translocation and transformation of chlorinated decanes in the intact plants. It was found that parent HepCD was taken up by the pumpkin roots, translocated from root to shoots, and phytovolatilized from pumpkin plants to air via the plant transpiration flux. Our data suggested that dechlorination of 1,2,5,5,6,9,10-HepCD to lower chlorinated decanes and rearrangement of chlorine atoms in the molecule were all mediated by the whole pumpkin seedlings. Chlorinated decanes were found in the shoots and roots of blank controls, indicating that chlorinated decanes in the air could be absorbed by leaves and translocated from shoots to roots. Lower chlorinated congeners (C10H17Cl5) tended to detain in air compared to higher chlorinated congeners (C10H16Cl6 and other C10H15Cl7). Potential transformation pathway and behavior of 1,2,5,5,6,9,10-HepCD in pumpkin were proposed based on these experiments.

Vanadium(V) is present in trace amounts in most plants and widely distributed in soils. However, the environmental toxicity of V compound in soils is controversial. A greenhouse study with soybean from germination to bean production under exposure to pentavalent V [V(V)] was conducted to elucidate the interaction of plants and V fractions in soils and to evaluate the toxicity of V at different plant growth stages. Soybean growth has no effect on non-specific-bond and specific-bond fractions of V in soils, but V fractionation occurred in more extraction-resistant phases at high V concentrations. High concentrations of V(V) postponed the germination and growth of the soybeans. Bean production was less than half of that of the control at 500 mg kg⁻¹ spiked V(V). For the 0 mg kg⁻¹ spiked V(V) treated plants, the root was not the main location where V was retained. Vanadium in the soils at ≤ 250 mg kg⁻¹ did not significantly affect the V concentration in the shoot and leaf of soybeans. With the increase in V concentration in soil, V concentrations in roots increased, whereas those in beans and pods decreased. From vegetative growth to the reproductive growth, the soybeans adsorbed more V and accumulated more V in the roots, with <20% transported to the aboveground parts. Hence, the analysis of V concentration in vegetative tissues or beans may not be a useful indicator for V pollution in soil. Meanwhile, the ratio of V concentration in cell wall to the total V concentration in the root increased with the increase in V(V) concentration in soils. Our results revealed that high concentrations of V inhibited soybean germination and biomass production. However, plants may produce self-defense systems to endure V toxicity.

Antimony (Sb) is a contaminant of increased prevalence in the environment, but there is little knowledge about the mechanisms of its uptake and translocation within plants. Here, we applied for the synchrotron based X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy to analyze the speciation of Sb in roots and shoots of rye grass (Lolium perenne L. Calibra). Seedlings were grown in nutrient solutions to which either antimonite (Sb(III)), antimonate (Sb(V)) or trimethyl-Sb(V) (TMSb) were added. While exposure to Sb(III) led to around 100 times higher Sb accumulation in the roots than the other two treatments, there was no difference in total Sb in the shoots. Antimony taken up in the Sb(III) treatment was mainly found as Sb-thiol complexes (roots: >76% and shoots: 60%), suggesting detoxification reactions with compounds such as glutathione and phytochelatins. No reduction of accumulated Sb(V) was found in the roots, but half of the translocated Sb was reduced to Sb(III) in the Sb(V) treatment. Antimony accumulated in the TMSb treatment remained in the methylated form in the roots. By synchrotron based XANES spectroscopy, we were able to distinguish the major Sb compounds in plant tissue under different Sb treatments. The results help to understand the translocation and transformation of different Sb species in plants after uptake and provide information for risk assessment of plant growth in Sb contaminated soils.

Wheat is one of several cereals that is capable of accumulating higher amounts of Cd in plant tissues. It is important to understand the Cd²⁺ transport processes in roots that result in excess Cd accumulation. Traditional destructive technologies have limited capabilities in analyzing root samples due to methodological limitations, and sometimes may result in false conclusions. The mechanisms of Cd²⁺ uptake into the roots of wheat seedlings (Triticum aestivum L.) were investigated by assessing the impact of various inhibitors and channel blockers on Cd accumulation as well as the real-time net Cd²⁺ flux at roots with the non-destructive scanning ion-selective electrode technique. The P-type ATPase inhibitor Na3VO4 (500 μM) had little effect on Cd uptake (p < 0.05) and the kinetics of transport in the root of wheat, suggesting that Cd²⁺ uptake into wheat root cells is not directly dependent on H⁺ gradients. While, the uncoupler 2,4-dinitrophenol significantly limited Cd²⁺ uptake (p < 0.05) and transport kinetics in the root of wheat, suggesting the existence of metabolic mediation in the Cd²⁺ uptake process by wheat. The Cd content at the whole-plant level in wheat was significantly (p < 0.05) decreased upon pretreatment with the Ca²⁺ channel blockers La³⁺ or Gd³⁺ and Verapamil, but not in case of pretreatment with the K⁺ channel blocker tetraethylammonium (TEA). In addition, the inhibitors of the Ca²⁺ channel, as well as high concentrations of Ca²⁺, reduced the real-time net Cd²⁺ fluxes at the root surface in SIET experiments. These results indicate that Cd²⁺ moves across the plasma lemma of the wheat root via Ca²⁺ channels. In addition, our results suggested a role for protein synthesis in mediating Cd²⁺ uptake and transport by wheat.

Uptake and translocation of imidacloprid (IMI), thiamethoxam (THX) and difenoconazole (DFZ) in rice plants (Oryza sativa L.) were investigated with a soil-treated experiment at two application rates: field rate (FR) and 10*FR under laboratory conditions. The dissipation of the three compounds in soil followed the first-order kinetics and DFZ showed greater half-lives than IMI and THX. Detection of the three compounds in rice tissues indicated that rice plants could take up and accumulate these pesticides. The concentrations of IMI and THX detected in leaves (IMI, 10.0 and 410 mg/kg dw; THX, 23.0 and 265 mg/kg dw) were much greater than those in roots (IMI, 1.37 and 69.3 mg/kg dw; THX, 3.19 and 30.6 mg/kg dw), which differed from DFZ. The DFZ concentrations in roots (15.6 and 79.1 mg/kg dw) were much greater than those in leaves (0.23 and 3.4 mg/kg dw). The bioconcentration factor (BCF), representing the capability of rice to accumulate contaminants from soil into plant tissues, ranged from 1.9 to 224.3 for IMI, from 2.0 to 72.3 for THX, and from 0.4 to 3.2 for DFZ at different treated concentrations. Much higher BCFs were found for IMI and THX at 10*FR treatment than those at FR treatment, however, the BCFs of DFZ at both treatments were similar. The translocation factors (TFs), evaluating the capability of rice to translocate contaminants from the roots to the aboveground parts, ranged from 0.02 to 0.2 for stems and from 0.02 to 9.0 for leaves. The tested compounds were poorly translocated from roots to stems, with a TF below 1. However, IMI and THX were well translocated from roots to leaves. Clothianidin (CLO), the main metabolite of THX, was detected at the concentrations from 0.02 to 0.5 mg kg−1 in soil and from 0.07 to 7.0 mg kg−1 in plants. Concentrations of CLO in leaves were almost 14 times greater than those in roots at 10*FR treatment.

Antibiotics are added to agricultural fields worldwide through wastewater irrigation or manure application, resulting in antibiotic contamination and elevated environmental risks to terrestrial environments and humans. Most studies focused on antibiotic detection in different matrices or were conducted in a hydroponic environment. Little is known about the transfer of antibiotics from antibiotic-contaminated irrigation wastewater and animal manure to agricultural soil and edible crops. In this study, we evaluated the transfer of five different antibiotics (tetracycline, sulfamethazine, norfloxacin, erythromycin, and chloramphenicol) to different crops under two levels of antibiotic-contaminated wastewater irrigation and animal manure fertilization. The final distribution of tetracycline (TC), norfloxacin (NOR) and chloramphenicol (CAP) in the crop tissues under these four treatments were as follows: fruit > leaf/shoot > root, while an opposite order was found for sulfamethazine (SMZ) and erythromycin (ERY): root > leaf/shoot > fruit. The growth of crops could accelerate the dissipation of antibiotics by absorption from contaminated soil. A higher accumulation of antibiotics was observed in crop tissues under the wastewater treatment than under manure treatment, which was due to the continual irrigation that increased adsorption in soil and uptake by crops. The translocation of antibiotics in crops mainly depended on their physicochemical properties (e.g. log Kow), crop species, and the concentrations of antibiotics applied to the soil. The levels of antibiotics ingested through the consumption of edible crops under the different treatments were much lower than the acceptable daily intake (ADI) levels.

Phytoremediation of realistic environmental concentrations (10 μg L−1) of the chiral pesticides tebuconazole and imazalil by Phragmites australis was investigated. This study focussed on removal dynamics, enantioselective mechanisms and transformation products (TPs) in both hydroponic growth solutions and plant tissues. For the first time, we documented uptake, translocation and metabolisation of these pesticides inside wetland plants, using enantioselective analysis. Tebuconazole and imazalil removal efficiencies from water reached 96.1% and 99.8%, respectively, by the end of the experiment (day 24). Removal from the solutions could be described by first-order removal kinetics with removal rate constants of 0.14 d−1 for tebuconazole and 0.31 d−1 for imazalil. Removal of the pesticides from the hydroponic solution, plant uptake, within plant translocation and degradation occurred simultaneously. Tebuconazole and imazalil concentrations inside Phragmites peaked at day 10 and 5d, respectively, and decreased thereafter. TPs of tebuconazole i.e., (5-(4-Chlorophenyl)-2,2-dimethyl-3-(1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-ylmethyl)-1,3-pentanediol and 5-(3-((1H-1,2,4-Triazol-1-yl)methyl)-3-hydroxy-4,4-dimethylpentyl)-2-chlorophenol) were quantified in solution, while the imazalil TPs (α-(2,4-Dichlorophenyl)-1H-imidazole-1-ethanol and 3-[1-(2,4-Dichlorophenyl)-2-(1H-imidazol-1-yl)ethoxy]-1,2-propanediol) were quantified in both solution and plant tissue. Pesticide uptake by Phragmites was positively correlated with evapotranspiration. Pesticide removal from the hydroponic solution was not enantioselective. However, tebuconazole was degraded enantioselectively both in the roots and shoots. Imazalil translocation and degradation inside Phragmites were also enantioselective: R-imazalil translocated faster than S-imazalil.

The polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) located on the epidermal tissues showed distinctive toxic effects to root, while the retention and distribution of PAHs on mangrove seedlings poorly understood. Our results confirmed that the partition coefficients (Kf) of the PAHs retained on the epidermal tissue of mangrove roots, such as Kandelia obovata, Avicennia marina and Aegiceras corniculatum, were much higher than the Poaceae plants roots, for example wheat and maize (Wild et al., 2005). Moreover, to the parent and alkyl PAHs, a well negative correlation was observed between the surface polarity of these three species of mangrove root and the Kf values (p < 0.05). To the N/O/S containing PAHs, these relationships were not obviously due to existing of the π-π, n-π interactions and hydrogen bonding between the N/O/S-containing PAHs and epidermal tissues. The PAHs retained on these three species of mangrove root epidermal tissues formed larger clusters than that of on Poaceae plants, such as wheat and maize (Wild et al., 2005) due to the limitation of the suberization of the root exodermis and endodermis. After exposure of 30 d, rhizo- and endophytic bacteria degraded parts of the N/O/S-containing PAHs to medium-lifetime fluorescence substances. To our knowledge, this is the first time to assess the retention of PAHs on the epidermal tissue of mangrove root, which will improve our understanding of the root uptake PAHs process.

The effects of biochar (BC) and ferromanganese oxide biochar composites (FMBC1 and FMBC2) on As (Arsenic) accumulation in rice were determined using a pot experiment. Treatments with BC or FMBC improved the dry weights of rice roots, stems, leaves, and grains in soils containing different As contamination levels. Compared to BC treatment, FMBC treatments significantly reduced As accumulation in different parts of the rice plants (P < 0.05), and FMBC2 performed better than FMBC1 did. Furthermore, exposure to 2% FMBC2 decreased the total As concentration in the grain by 68.9–78.3%. The addition of FMBC increased the ratio of essential amino acids in the grain, decreased As availability in the soil, and significantly increased the Fe and Mn plaque contents. The reduced As accumulation in rice can be attributed to As(III) to As(V) oxidation by ferro - manganese binary oxide, which increased the As adsorbed by FMBC. Furthermore, Fe and Mn plaques on the rice root surface decreased the transport of As in rice. Taken together, our results demonstrated the applicability of FMBC as a potential measure for reducing As accumulation in rice, improving the amino acid content of rice grains, and effectively remediating As-polluted soil.

The aim of the study was to estimate the influence of the 2,4-dichlorophenoxy acetic acid and 2-methyl-4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid on the uptake and translocation of Cd, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pb and Mn by wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Two farmland soils typical for the central Polish rural environment were used. Studies involved soil analyses, contents of bioavailable, exchangeable and total forms for all investigated metals. Atomic absorption spectrometry was used to determine the concentration of the elements. The best correlation between the herbicide rate and the metal concentration was visibly for the underground part of plants. Analysis of variance proved that herbicide treatment of wheat frequently influences the metal transfer from soil and their concentration in roots and shoots. In particular, higher herbicide rates prompted the significant increase of all metals concentration in roots. Additionally, transfer coefficients depended on the type of soil and the herbicide rate applied. Uptake of metals may be also influenced by the formation of sparingly water-soluble metal-herbicide complexes. Its intensity would then depend on the solubility of particular chemical entity with the low solvable Pb, Cu and Cd complexes being the least mobile.