From laboratory to field studies - The assessment of Biscutella laevigata suitability to biological reclamation of areas contaminated with lead and cadmium

- Various experimental levels - from laboratory through semi-controlled to field scale.
- Application of less often used in vitro methods to examine plant metal tolerance.
- Suggestion for proper selection of taxa to phytostabilization of degraded areas.
- Novel trend of ecological restoration based on native tolerant species.

The aim of the work was to evaluate the usefulness of the in vitro multiplication of Biscutella laevigata calamine ecotype for in situ reclamation of post-flotation wastes polluted with Pb and Cd. The experiment was conducted on three steps: (i) plant shoots' production under in vitro condition, (ii) establishment of the material in greenhouse experiment, and finally (iii) field cultivation directly on the mining-waste heap of Olkusz Ore-Bearing Region, Poland. This region is known to be one of the most chemically-degraded area in central Europe. The laboratory-set in vitro analysis enabled to obtain the high-quality plant shoots, which multiply the most effectively (with growth tolerance index 130-150%) on medium containing 5.0 μM CdCl2 and 0.5 mM Pb(NO3)2. These plants were used for the next two ex vitro experiments. Several biometric and physiological analysis (i.e. of photosystem II activity Fv/Fm and PI, photosynthetic pigment contents) were done to indicate plant physiological status during these experiments. The main novelty of the work was to prove that in vitro-multiplied shoots of B. laevigata - the representative of native flora from Olkusz Ore-Bearing Region - can be successfully implemented in situ for the restoration of these degraded area. Moreover, the addition of sewage sludge as a source of organic compounds significantly improved plants' growth and development what is especially important due to the lack of other legal solutions for the management of the sewage sludge in some countries.