Phosphorous accumulation and distribution of two ecotypes of Pilea sinofasciata grown in phosphorous-enriched soils

Water eutrophication and poultry manure require an efficacious remediation technology to decrease phosphorous (P) concentration. In this study, the P phytoremediation potential of a mining (ME) and nonmining ecotype (NME) of Pilea sinofasciata were analyzed by pot experiments employing different concentrations of P treatments (CK, P100, P200, P400, P800 and P1600) in tested soil. Growth, P accumulation and P-relevant enzyme activities of P. sinofasciata in ME and NME were assessed after 10 weeks' plantation. The results showed that there was no significant difference between the shoot biomass of the ME and NME. Higher P concentration and accumulation were observed in the ME than NME for all treatments. Stem P concentration of the ME were 117%, 189%, 152%, 153%, 140% and 139% higher than the NME, and leaf P concentration were 122%, 146%, 138%, 144%, 137% and 113%. Maximum P uptake and phytoextraction was observed at P400 for the ME of P. sinofasciata. Elevated activities of acid phosphatase and phytase in roots were examined in P-enriched soil, and the ME presented higher activities compared with the NME. The results in this paper provide a theoretical basis for the use of ME of P. sinofasciata for phosphorus accumulators and suggest that ME of P. sinofasciata is a promising species for the excess P phytoextraction of P-enriched soils.