Seasonal Fluctuations of Zn, Pb, As and Cd Contents in the Biomass of Selected Grass Species Growing on Contaminated Soils: Implications for in Situ Phytostabilization

Phytostabilization aims to immobilize contaminants at the rhizosphere level using the root system of adapted plants. In order to exploit wild grasses with potential for phytostabilization, a screening throughout the year was conducted at a site contaminated by Pb and Zn. Three plant species were chosen: Agrostis capillaris, Arrhenatherum elatius and Calamagrostis epigeios. Rhizospheric soil and biomass was used for chemical characterization. Above- and below-ground was analyzed. For each sample, arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi colonization was determined. The highest concentrations of Pb were found in the A. capillaris rhizosphere (3417 mg kg), and in A. elatius for Zn (3876 mg kg). CaCl-extractable Zn in the rhizosphere of C. epigeios was the lowest and Pb was lower for A. elatius. CaCl-extractable Cd was neither species-dependent nor time-dependent. Arsenic was not species-dependent. The fractionation of target elements did not show differences between separate sampling campaigns and Pb was the only element that showed differences during the year. A. capillaris showed the best capacity to take up elements. The colonization by AMF did not show significant differences for different sampling times, or interactions between time and species, however differences were found for different species, i.e., C. epigeios showed significantly lower colonization by arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi. Our results indicate that A. capillaris appears to be a good indigenous candidate for phytostabilization.