The Effect of Plant Species on Zinc Absorption

This experiment is focused on the topic of phytoextraction and is trying to determine at which zinc contamination levels can Dwarf Essex Rape, Sun Flower, Indian Mustard, and Vates Collards most effectively absorb zinc. Phytoextraction is the absorption of pollutants from soil with plants. Seven levels of zinc were administered to the plants. There were 15 plants per species and four species. One plant from each species acted as a control and had no zinc mixed into the soil. The plants were planted in July and were allowed to grow until September when the zinc was introduced and mixed evenly throughout the soil. The plants were given until December to absorb the zinc until they were cut from the base of the stem and dried. Although it would have been better to have sixty data points (one for every plant) to analyse, the number had to be reduced to thirty by pairing each plant which was given the same amount of zinc. This is because there was not enough biomass to complete the inductively coupled plasma process. Then, using inductively coupled plasma, the levels of zinc in the plants were determined. The Sun Flowers were the only plant species which experienced a downwards trend in absorption as the levels were increased. The Indian Mustard and Vates Collards had the most prominent upwards trend, while the Dwarf Essex rape’s absorption levels fluxuated. The results show that the most successful plant at absorbing zinc is Vates Collards. In the order of decreasing effectiveness were Indian Mustard, Dwarf Essex Rape, and Sun Flower