Characterization of the metabolism of Crotalaria ssp. species and soil quality under doses of Cu: potential application for phytoremediation

• Grant number: 24/01792-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: January 01, 2025
• End date: July 31, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Botany - Applied Botany
• Principal Investigator: Liliane Santos de Camargos
• Grantee: Mariana Bocchi da Silva
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia (FEIS). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Ilha Solteira. Ilha Solteira , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Successive applications of agricultural inputs, deposition of mining waste and use of swine waste that contains micronutrients in its composition have caused an increase in the levels available in the soil. Excess of these elements in agricultural soils can cause metabolic and physiological disorders in plants, contributing to changes in nutritional status, as well as reduced development and productivity. Phytoremediation is a technique with low financial cost and low environmental impact that can help solve this problem. Legumes, such as Crotalaria ssp., are excellent nitrogen fixers, widely used as green manure and forage crops. With this study, we aimed to evaluate the feasibility of using leguminous plants as a remediation strategy for soils with excess copper (Cu), monitoring the effects on soil fertility and enzymatic activity and identifying the potential use of these plants as phytoremediators for soils with excess Cu. The experiment will be carried out in two experimental cycles, in a greenhouse, in a completely randomized design, in a 4x5 factorial scheme and 4 replications (4 species of Crotalaria and 5 doses of Cu) in the first experiment and, 2x5 with 4 replications (2 species of Crotalaria and 5 doses of Cu) in the second experiment. The parameters to be evaluated will be: biomass production, gas exchange, quantification of photosynthetic pigments, levels of amino acids, protein, nitrate, ammonia and ureides in tissues, nodulation efficiency, changes in antioxidant metabolism and membrane integrity, in addition to the potential phytoremediation of the species through the accumulated amounts of Cu in the aerial part and roots and evaluation of soil fertility and enzymatic activity before and after cultivation with the legumes under study. Analysis of variance and comparison of means will be carried out using the Skott Knott test (P < 0.05) and regression study, in cases where the F test was significant.