Role of the macroalgae Corallina officinalis in alleviating the toxicity of hexavalent chromium on Vicia faba L.

Abstract

The accumulation of heavy metals (Cd, Pb, Cr, Li...) in soils, especially agricultural soils, can cause serious problems for the environment and organisms. The accumulation of these Heavy Metals is mainly due to intense human and industrial activities. These soil contamination problems can be partially solved by the application of phytoremediation technologies or phycoremediation using algae to complex and remove pollutants from the environment. In this study we evaluated the role of a macroalgae Corallina officinalis on the mitigation of chromium toxicity in the bean crop (Vicia faba L.). Our results showed that the addition 5% of Corallina officinalis improved growth parameters and chlorophyll content in bean leaves, and that in the presence of chromium, and reduced chromium toxicity on faba bean crop.