Investigation of phytoremediation capacity of Epilobium hirsutum L. plant and propagation of the plant under in vitro conditions

In this study, the effect of zinc on growth parameters of Epilobium hirsutum (root and stem growth, number of leaves and fresh weight) and its usability in the phytoremediation of zinc were investigated. According the results, it was found that there was a statistically negative correlation between Zn concentration and root length, shoot length, number of leaves and fresh weight of the plant (r= -0.75; r= -0.74; r= -0.84 and r= -0.86, respectively). Also, the zinc concentration that E. hirsutum showed the best development was found as 30 mg/L. When the zinc content of E. hirsutum seedlings grown at different zinc concentrations were compared, it was found that the seedlings grown at 30 mg Zn/L concentration accumulated the maximum zinc (14 894,90 mg/kg). Moreover, it was determined that pH 6 was best pH level for seedlings grown in solution containing 30 mg/L zinc. Results of zinc analyzes indicated that distribution of Zn in plant tissues were 50 813.89 mg/kg DW in the root, 4173.88 mg/kg DW in the shoot and 697.0 mg/kg DW in the leaf. The aim of the plant tissue culture studies was to propagation of E. hirsutum plant with tissue culture methods and to determine the most suitable adaptation conditions to water culture conditions. Seedlings, obtained from in vitro germinated seeds, were used as explant sources in micropropagation studies. It was determined that the most successful medium for shoot regeneration were 1 mg BAP/L +1 mg NAA/L and 1 mg BAP/L+1 mg IBA/L for E. hirsutum species. The highest root formation was obtained in MS medium containing 1 mg IBA/L (32.9±6.71 root number/explant). Shoots which developed roots were transferred to water culture medium successfully and plantlets were adapted to the water culture medium.