Dynamics of Pharmaceuticals in the Soil–Plant System: A Case Study on Mycorrhizal Artichoke

Contaminants of emerging concern, such as pharmaceuticals (PhACs), are continuously introduced into agro-ecosystems through irrigation with treated wastewater (TWW). While this practice is increasingly common in drought regions, only limited information is available on the fate of PhACs within the soil–plant system. For this purpose, a two-year study was conducted by irrigating artichokes, non-inoculated and inoculated with different arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, with water containing PhACs at different concentrations. The experiment, conducted in both open field and pot conditions, aimed to evaluate their potential accumulation in the soil and plant tissues. Results showed that PhACs concentrations varied according to the physicochemical properties of the compounds and the duration of irrigation. The study revealed minimal accumulation of contaminants in the soil and non-edible plant parts. This was observed only at the end of the second growing cycle, when the plants were irrigated with TWW containing trace PhAC levels. In contrast, during both pot cultivation cycles, PhACs accumulated in the soil were translocated into plant organs when irrigated with water enriched to 200 μg L−1 with eight PhACs. At the end of the trial, climbazole had the highest concentration in soil, while carbamazepine and fluconazole showed greater accumulation across all plant organs compared to other PhACs. In both trials, plants inoculated with Septoglomus viscosum absorbed less PhACs compared to those inoculated with Rhizophagus irregularis + Funneliformis mosseae. These results suggest that, while the long-term use of TWW containing PhACs may improve artichoke yield, it could present different degrees of risk to both environmental and human health, depending on the concentration levels of contaminants.