The potential value of bedding begonia in phytoextraction of chromium, lead and cadmium

Bedding begonias (Begonia cucullata Hort.) are cultivated primarily for their aesthetic appeal.Boasting beautiful leaves and lively, colourful flowers, these plants can significantly enhance any garden space.They also have the capacity to produce a large biomass, suggesting their suitability for phytoextraction purposes.This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of bedding begonia in removing Cr, Pb, and Cd from artificially polluted substrates, with concentrations varying from 100 mg/kg to 500 mg/kg for Cr and Pb, and from 20 mg/kg to 100 mg/kg for Cd.The phytoextraction potential was estimated using bioaccumulation (BAF) and translocation (TF) factors analysis.The current study demonstrated that bedding begonia can successfully grow in substrates enriched with Cr, Pb, and Cd.BAF values < 1 for both Cr and Pb were detected regardless of contamination levels, indicating that this species has limited capacity to restore soils contaminated with these metals.On the other hand, BAF and TF values for Cd were greater than 1 at all contamination levels, implying their potential to remove Cd from polluted soils.