Phytoremediation Potential of Helianthus annuus L (Sunflower) for the Reclamation of Lead (Pb) Spiked Soil

Soil contamination caused by anthropogenic activities such as industrial activity, excessive waste disposal and natural disasters has become a major problem that endangers human health and the ecosystems. As a low-cost and environmentally friendly remediation method; phytoremediation of polluted soils has attracted a lot of attention. The goal of this study was to screen for the potential of Helianthus annuus L a local plant in the scope area to remediate lead-contaminated soil in a laboratory setting. Phytotolerance of the plant was determined by subjecting the plant to various concentration of Lead (Pb), where 3 kg of pristine soil is spiked with Pb in triplicate in a pots were used for (CR5%=150, CR10%=300, CR15%=450, CR20%=600, CR25%=750 mg) of Pb. The plant gowth is measured for tolerance of lead, Atomic Absorptiob spectrophotometer (AAS) was used determine uptake of lead by the plant samples. The results of phytotolerance of H. annuus show a significant growth of the in lower concentration C5% compared to the control which was not spiked with Pb though there is decrease in the plant growth at high concentration of C25% Pb. The wet and dry biomass of H. annuus in a timeframe of 15 days was analyzed shows significant effect of the heavy metal in the biomass formation. The uptake of Pb by H. annuus was measured using AAS and it show a significant accumulation of Pb in the plant root and very significant in higher concentration of Pb was accumulated and translocated .it is concluded from this study that sunflower plant can absorb and accumulate quantities of lead without affecting the production of biomass indicating the possibility of using it as good candidate in the remediation of Pb polluted soils.