Phytoremediation Techniques and Effects

Rhizofiltration

• Constructed wetlands utilize plant roots to remove contaminants from wastewater by adsorption, precipitation, and absorption.

Phytovolatilization

• Plants absorb and transpire contaminants, releasing them or modified forms to the atmosphere.
• This process occurs as plants take up water and contaminants, releasing them from the leaves.

Phytoremediation Advantages

• More environmentally friendly, aesthetically pleasing, and less disruptive than traditional physical and chemical methods.
• Effective in contaminant reduction.
• Low-cost and applicable to a wide range of contaminants.

Interveinal Chlorosis

• Chlorosis begins at the leaf tip and progresses towards the base.
• Main veins remain green and prominent.
• Affected leaves develop necrotic spots and lesions in the interveinal areas.
• Tissues of the necrotic spots drop from the leaf lamina, creating holes.

Redgram (Cajanus cajan) Nitrogen Deficiency

• Occurs during the initial stages of growth before nitrogen-fixing nodules develop.
• Mild deficiency results in uniform light green plant.
• Severe deficiency causes chlorosis in older leaves progressing to uniform pale green, greenish yellow, or pale yellow.
• The midrib remains green and turns yellow at the end.

Redgram Phosphorus Deficiency

• Characterized by a dark green to bluish dark green color of the foliage.
• Older leaves become darker than younger ones.
• In advanced stages, older leaves turn orange-yellow and shed.

Redgram Potassium Deficiency

• Leaf tip turns yellow or brown.
• Yellowing spreads from the tip towards the leaf margin and coalesces with similar areas at the ends of lateral veins.
• Leaf tip becomes scorched as symptoms worsen.
• Leaves are yellow, but veins remain green.
• Young leaves turn completely yellow, and dark brownish-black spots appear on the leaf.

Redgram Zinc Deficiency

• Stunted growth and narrowing of leaves with pale green or yellow color.
• Interveinal chlorosis starts at the tip of leaflets and spreads leaving only the midrib green.

Blackgram Nitrogen Deficiency

• Restricts plant height, leaf size, and branch numbers.
• Decreases flowering, pod numbers, pod length, seed numbers, and seed size, ultimately reducing yield.
• Due to nitrogen's mobility within plants, older leaves show deficiency symptoms first.

Blackgram Phosphorus Deficiency

• Delays crop maturity.
• Decreases the number and size of pods, resulting in poor yields.
• Older leaves display deficiency symptoms first due to phosphorus's mobility.
• Plants become dark green, and lower stems turn purplish. Deficient plants may develop purple pigmentation on older leaves.

Blackgram Magnesium Deficiency

• Leaves turn from green to yellowish, with basal leaves remaining green.
• Spots appear between the veins.
• Leaves curl downward.
• Lowest leaves become white to yellow with the base remaining green.
• Pale brown necrotic spots develop with a dark brown margin.
• Brown spots appear on the pods.
• Older leaves become uniformly yellow while young leaves may remain light green.

Blackgram Potassium Deficiency

• Chlorosis starts at the tip and along the leaf margins of old leaves.
• Old leaves turn brown and become scorched from the tips and margins.
• Eventually, old leaves dry and fall off early.

Blackgram Calcium Deficiency

• Rare in leaves and stems.
• Small distorted leaves near branch tips and terminal buds may blacken and stop developing.
• Most common symptom in developing fruit is a lack of kernel formation, darkened plumule if kernel develops, and reduced seed germination.

Blackgram Sulfur Deficiency

• Initially, the whole plant appears light green.
• Younger leaves become pale green or pale yellow.
• Uniform chlorosis develops over the entire leaf, covering both veins and interveinal tissues.
• In acute deficiency, the entire plant turns yellow.

Blackgram Boron Deficiency

• Restricted growth of young leaves, giving a rosette effect.
• Affected pod development resulting in "pop" pods.
• Small leaves, stubby branches, stems may split, and pods may show hollow heart and discoloration.

Blackgram Copper Deficiency

• Chlorosis in younger leaves, distorted leaflets, and scattering of yellowish-white spots on leaves.

Blackgram Manganese Deficiency

• Interveinal chlorosis and stunted growth.

Blackgram Iron Deficiency

• Pale yellow chlorosis develops in interveinal tissues while the veins remain green and prominent.
• Chlorosis extends the full length of the leaves.
• As chlorosis advances, veins also become chlorotic, and the entire leaf may appear pale yellow.
• In the later stage, leaves turn almost white and may become necrotic.

Blackgram Magnesium Deficiency

• Rusty or freckled appearance, spotting pronounced on the older leaves.
• Stalks show internal browning.

Blackgram Sulfur Deficiency

• Plants have an off-color or yellowish-green appearance, like N deficiency, the youngest leaves are more chlorotic.
• Stalks short, thin, and leaf area reduced.

Blackgram Boron Deficiency

• Leaves become smaller and malformed.

Blackgram Copper Deficiency

• Symptoms occur in young leaves; leaves become yellow in color and smaller in size.

Blackgram Iron Deficiency

• Young leaves develop pale stripes with scanty chlorophyll content between parallel lines.
• Leaves turn completely white, even in the veins and midribs.
• Restricted root growth and stunted appearance with constricted internodes.

Blackgram Manganese Deficiency

• Chlorosis in young leaves increases to a uniform yellow, a gray metallic purplish luster develops on the leaf surface.
• Upward curving of blade margins.

Blackgram Molybdenum Deficiency

• Resembles S deficiency.
• Pitting develops along the veins.

Blackgram Zinc Deficiency

• Light greening or yellowing first appears in younger leaves followed by pitting, collapse, and drying of interveinal tissue, leaving the veins green.

Sugarbeet Nitrogen Deficiency

• Yellowing of leaves.
• Premature senescence of older leaves.
• Seedlings yellow, center leaves green in color.

Sugarbeet Phosphorus Deficiency

• Plants smaller in size and have a deep green color ranging from a dull grey green to almost bluish-green.