Abstract
Previous field studies indicate that zucchini (Cucurbita pepo) has a unique ability to phytoextract persistent organic pollutants from soil. It is unlikely that C. pepo evolved a unique mechanism favoring POP extraction and uptake, but all plants have evolved means to facilitate nutrient acquisition from soil. We have hypothesized that the exudation of organic acids as a means to acquire phosphorus could facilitate the uptake of persistent organic pollutants by increasing contaminant bioavailability to the plants. In one study, we assessed DDE uptake and organic acid exudation by zucchini (an uptaker of POPs) and cucumber (a non-uptaker of POPs) under various cultivation and nutrient conditions. Under dense planting (5 plants in a 5-kg pot of DDE-contaminated soil), zucchini accumulated significant and expected amounts of DDE but surprisingly, under these stressed conditions, cucumber phytoextracted greater amounts of DDE. The cucumber rhizosphere concentrations of organic acids were significantly higher than that of zucchini, suggesting that the increased organic acid exudation promoted DDE uptake by cucumber. Conversely, under non-stressed conditions zucchini phytoextracted significantly greater quantities of pollutant than cucumber but no differences in organic acid content of the rhizosphere of the two species were observed. Separately, zucchini and other species were grown under field conditions and weekly amendments of different nutrients were made (nitrogen, phosphorus, nitrogen/phosphorus, aluminum sulfate to bind phosphorus in the soil). The uptake and translocation of the weathered pollutant and inorganic elements was found to vary with nutrient amendments. Lastly, data will be presented from rhizotron units constructed to facilitate not only the direct in situ isolation of exuded organic acids but also the isolation of xylem sap and rhizosphere soil pore water from individual plants. The role of cultivation conditions and nutrient availability in controlling root morphology, organic acid exudation, and contaminant uptake will be discussed.