BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//pretalx//pretalx.earthmonitor.org//soil-health-now-2026//DFUTGS
BEGIN:VTIMEZONE
TZID:Europe/Athens
BEGIN:STANDARD
DTSTART:20001029T040000
RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=-1SU;BYMONTH=10
TZNAME:EET
TZOFFSETFROM:+0300
TZOFFSETTO:+0200
END:STANDARD
BEGIN:DAYLIGHT
DTSTART:20000326T030000
RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYDAY=-1SU;BYMONTH=3
TZNAME:EEST
TZOFFSETFROM:+0200
TZOFFSETTO:+0300
END:DAYLIGHT
END:VTIMEZONE
BEGIN:VEVENT
UID:pretalx-soil-health-now-2026-99HZ93@pretalx.earthmonitor.org
DTSTART;TZID=Europe/Athens:20261207T170000
DTEND;TZID=Europe/Athens:20261207T180000
DESCRIPTION:Phytoremediation offers a sustainable approach for remediating 
 heavy metal-contaminated soils through strategies that either enhance meta
 l uptake (phytoextraction) or reduce metal mobility (phytostabilization). 
 This study evaluated the influence of metal bioavailability on phytoremedi
 ation outcomes in an acidic boreal forest soil (pH =5.6) using chelator-as
 sisted phytoextraction and biochar-assisted phytostabilization. A 10-week 
 greenhouse experiment was conducted on moderately contaminated soil using 
 Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) and six chelator treatments: control\, ED
 TA\, citric acid (CA)\, oxalic acid (OA)\, and combinations of EDTA with C
 A or OA at rates of 3 mmol kg⁻¹ for natural chelators and 1.5 mmol kg
 ⁻¹ EDTA in combined treatments. EDTA significantly increased the solubi
 lity of Cd\, Cu\, and Zn in soil and pore water\; however\, severe phytoto
 xicity resulted in plant mortality when EDTA was applied alone or in combi
 nation with natural chelators. In contrast\, CA and OA caused no phytotoxi
 city but produced only limited increases in metal bioavailability and phyt
 oextraction. A second three-month growth chamber experiment evaluated bioc
 har (BC) and H2O2-modified biochar (HBC) applied at 5% (w/w) to a higher h
 eavy metal-contaminated soil using Canada wild rye (Elymus canadensis)\, l
 ittle bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)\, and switchgrass (Panicum virgat
 um). Biochar amendments improved plant growth\, reduced metal accumulation
  in plant tissues\, and enhanced metal stability. In BC-amended soils\, Ca
 nada wild rye produced the highest biomass and reduced shoot Cd\, Cu\, and
  Zn concentrations by up to 81%\, 77%\, and 84%\, respectively. Results de
 monstrate that metal bioavailability is a key factor governing phytoremedi
 ation success in acidic boreal soils. While chelator amendments increased 
 metal solubility\, excessive mobilization caused phytotoxicity and limited
  phytoextraction. Conversely\, biochar reduced metal availability\, enhanc
 ed plant growth\, and improved metal stability\, highlighting the importan
 ce of balancing metal availability with plant tolerance during phytoremedi
 ation.
DTSTAMP:20260825T175931Z
LOCATION:Basement (Foyer)
SUMMARY:Selecting Phytoremediation Strategies for Acidic Boreal Forest Soil
 s: A Comparison of Chelator-Assisted Phytoextraction and Biochar-Assisted 
 Phytostabilization Across Contamination Levels - Darshani Kumaragamage\, S
 rimathie Indraratne
URL:https://pretalx.earthmonitor.org/soil-health-now-2026/talk/99HZ93/
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR