The effectiveness of bluemink (Ageratum houstonianum Mill.) and French marigold (Tagetes patula L.) in removing Zn and Cu from contaminated growing media
Utilizing ornamental plants for phytoremediation provides multiple benefits: they enhance the visual attractiveness of their surroundings and are predominantly non-edible, thus decreasing the chances of bioaccumulation in the food chain. To assess the effectiveness of bluemink (Ageratum houstonianum Mill.) and French marigold (Tagetes patula L.) in removing Cu and Zn from artificially contaminated substrate, a 6-week pot experiment was conducted in a greenhouse of the Faculty of Agriculture and Food Sciences at Sarajevo University. The experiment consisted of four contamination treatments for each heavy metal examined specifically 0, 100, 250, and 500 mg kg-1 for Zn, and 0, 20, 50, 100, and 200 mg kg-1 for Cu, with three replication for each treatment. The Zn and Cu levels in the plant samples were determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry after the acid digestion process. The bioaccumulation factor (BAF) and translocation factor (TF) were used to evaluate the phytoextraction potential of the plants. BAF values determined in this study suggest that both plants, bluemink and French marigold, could be regarded as potential hyperaccumulators of Zn, particularly in the case of their long-term cultivation on contaminated soil.