Acumulación de cobre en plantas silvestres de zonas agrícolas contaminadas con el metal

Abstract

Copper is an essential nutrient that is known to result in toxic damages to organisms. Copper salts have been utilized as fungicide because of its protective effect against several diseases in plants, but the repeated use of it has caused contamination of many Costa Rican agricultural lands. This study evaluated the potential of twenty most abundant species growing on two contaminated sites in Alajuela and Siquirres. Plants and associated soil samples were collected and analyzed for total metal concentrations using flame atomic adsorption technique. None of the species was identified as hyperaccumulator. Plant total Cu concentration varied from 19,0 to 170 mg kg-1 and in the soil ranged from 60,0 to 307 mg kg-1 . Among the plants, Portulaca oleracea had the higher bioconcentration factor (BCF): 2,5. This specie could be suitable for phytoextracting of sites contaminated with copper.