Absorption and release of barium by sorghum plants cultivated in soil contaminated with the element

Abstract

Currently, various human activities have increased the burden of toxic elements in the environment, especially in the soil. Among these elements, are the heavy metals, with barium (Ba) being recently included in the list of elements that present a risk to human health, causing it to be the focus of several studies, since information about its toxic effects on soil and plants are very limited. Thus, the objective of this research project is to evaluate the performance of sorghum plants cropped in soil contaminated with salts of Ba (BaSO4 and BaCl2) and the dynamics of the heavy metal in soil, known for its distribution in different parts of the plant and the possible toxicity symptoms, its check interference on nutrition and crop productivity; know its bioavailability and dynamics in soil and even the biodegradation of crop residues and their release to soil. The experiment will be conducted in a greenhouse and will be divided into two stages. In the first stage will be tested doses of two sources of Ba (BaSO4 and BaCl2) in randomized complete block design with seven treatments (two sources of Ba in three doses, plus a control) and 5 replicates. The second stage will begin with the end of the first, and will evaluate the release of Ba into the soil due to plants biodegradation, and it will be tested three treatments (only soil, soil + roots, soil + whole plant) with five replicates in a completely randomized design. In the first stage will be collected soil samples and diagnoses leaves for purpose during the plants tillering, and whole plants and grains at the end of the crop cycle. In the second phase, soil samples will be collected at 15, 30, 60 and 90 days after installation. All samples will be processed and analyzed according to the proposed project.