The Effect of Salinity on Heavy Metal Tolerance in Two Energy Willow Varieties
This study evaluated the response of two willow varieties, <i>Salix × smithiana</i> Willd. and <i>Salix viminalis</i> L. var. Gigantea, to selected heavy metals and elevated soil salinity, simulating complex environmental conditions during phytoremediation. Plants propagated...
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2025-06-01
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| author | Kinga Drzewiecka Zuzanna Kaźmierczak Magdalena Woźniak Michał Rybak |
| author_facet | Kinga Drzewiecka Zuzanna Kaźmierczak Magdalena Woźniak Michał Rybak |
| author_sort | Kinga Drzewiecka |
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| description | This study evaluated the response of two willow varieties, <i>Salix × smithiana</i> Willd. and <i>Salix viminalis</i> L. var. Gigantea, to selected heavy metals and elevated soil salinity, simulating complex environmental conditions during phytoremediation. Plants propagated from stem cuttings were cultivated in pots under field conditions in soil artificially contaminated with a mixture of Cd, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb salts at two concentration levels representing lower and higher guideline thresholds. Sodium chloride was added to induce salinity stress. <i>S. × smithiana</i> exhibited enhanced growth under combined metal and salinity stress, suggesting efficient tolerance mechanisms. This was reflected in elevated relative water content (RWC) and increased accumulation of Zn and Cd in shoots. In contrast, Gigantea showed growth inhibition and primarily sequestered metals in roots, indicating a stress-avoidance strategy and reduced metal translocation. While salinity alone negatively affected both varieties, its combination with metals mitigated growth reduction in <i>S. × smithiana</i>, possibly due to improved ion homeostasis or cross-tolerance. Zn and Cd displayed the highest bioconcentration and mobility. Based on bioconcentration factor (BCF) and translocation factor (TF), <i>S. × smithiana</i> appears suitable for phytoextraction, whereas <i>S. viminalis</i> var. Gigantea appears suitable for phytostabilization. These results support species-specific approaches to phytoremediation in multi-contaminant environments. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3721e91e1cba40d78ef727c5dc0cb414 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2223-7747 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Plants |
| spelling | doaj-art-3721e91e1cba40d78ef727c5dc0cb4142025-08-20T03:27:42ZengMDPI AGPlants2223-77472025-06-011412174710.3390/plants14121747The Effect of Salinity on Heavy Metal Tolerance in Two Energy Willow VarietiesKinga Drzewiecka0Zuzanna Kaźmierczak1Magdalena Woźniak2Michał Rybak3Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 75, 60-625 Poznań, PolandDepartment of Chemistry, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 75, 60-625 Poznań, PolandDepartment of Chemistry, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Wojska Polskiego 75, 60-625 Poznań, PolandDepartment of Water Protection, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, 61-614 Poznań, PolandThis study evaluated the response of two willow varieties, <i>Salix × smithiana</i> Willd. and <i>Salix viminalis</i> L. var. Gigantea, to selected heavy metals and elevated soil salinity, simulating complex environmental conditions during phytoremediation. Plants propagated from stem cuttings were cultivated in pots under field conditions in soil artificially contaminated with a mixture of Cd, Ni, Cu, Zn, and Pb salts at two concentration levels representing lower and higher guideline thresholds. Sodium chloride was added to induce salinity stress. <i>S. × smithiana</i> exhibited enhanced growth under combined metal and salinity stress, suggesting efficient tolerance mechanisms. This was reflected in elevated relative water content (RWC) and increased accumulation of Zn and Cd in shoots. In contrast, Gigantea showed growth inhibition and primarily sequestered metals in roots, indicating a stress-avoidance strategy and reduced metal translocation. While salinity alone negatively affected both varieties, its combination with metals mitigated growth reduction in <i>S. × smithiana</i>, possibly due to improved ion homeostasis or cross-tolerance. Zn and Cd displayed the highest bioconcentration and mobility. Based on bioconcentration factor (BCF) and translocation factor (TF), <i>S. × smithiana</i> appears suitable for phytoextraction, whereas <i>S. viminalis</i> var. Gigantea appears suitable for phytostabilization. These results support species-specific approaches to phytoremediation in multi-contaminant environments.https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/12/1747environmental stressmetal uptakeosmotic stressphytoremediation<i>Salix</i> sp. |
| spellingShingle | Kinga Drzewiecka Zuzanna Kaźmierczak Magdalena Woźniak Michał Rybak The Effect of Salinity on Heavy Metal Tolerance in Two Energy Willow Varieties Plants environmental stress metal uptake osmotic stress phytoremediation <i>Salix</i> sp. |
| title | The Effect of Salinity on Heavy Metal Tolerance in Two Energy Willow Varieties |
| title_full | The Effect of Salinity on Heavy Metal Tolerance in Two Energy Willow Varieties |
| title_fullStr | The Effect of Salinity on Heavy Metal Tolerance in Two Energy Willow Varieties |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effect of Salinity on Heavy Metal Tolerance in Two Energy Willow Varieties |
| title_short | The Effect of Salinity on Heavy Metal Tolerance in Two Energy Willow Varieties |
| title_sort | effect of salinity on heavy metal tolerance in two energy willow varieties |
| topic | environmental stress metal uptake osmotic stress phytoremediation <i>Salix</i> sp. |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2223-7747/14/12/1747 |
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