Effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (Glomus spp.) on growth and arsenic uptake of vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides L.) from contaminated soil and water systems

Phytoremediation technology is emerging as a promising environment-friendly method for large-scale cleanup of arsenic (As) contaminated water and soil. In this study we investigated the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF - Glomus spp.) on the growth of the vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides L.) and its As uptake from contaminated hydroponic and soil systems. An ameliorative effect of the AMF inoculation in enhancing plants growth was found, mainly by stimulating the development of their root system. In addition, AMF-inoculated plants also took up more As from both contaminated systems compared to non-inoculated plants, although the differences were not always statistically significant (p < 0.05). Nevertheless, more efficient As uptake by vetiver grass from contaminated hydroponic solutions than spiked soils was observed, essentially because of the higher phytoavailability in the former contaminated system. Furthermore, plants grown hydroponically also translocated higher amounts of As from their roots to shoots. Therefore, the findings of this study reveals that the use of vetiver grass technology in conjunction with AMF would be more appropriate to decontaminate As-contaminated water than soils.