Phytoremediation of weathered p,p'-DDE in soil by cucurbitacea

In this study, the possibility of uptake and translocation of weathered p,p'-DDE were investigated by grafted Cucurbitaceae grown under field condition in p,p'-DDE contaminated soil. Two Cucurbitaceae, Zucchini, Watermelon, and their heterografts, and homografts were grown in a field containing soil contaminated with dichlorodiphenylethanes (DDT and DDD) and -ethene (DDE), concentration ranging from, 9.28 to 85.20 ng/g, 22.38 to 133.52 ng/g, and 62.32 to 210.48 ng/g, respectively.The p,p-DDE content in the samples was determined on a Agilent 6890N gas chromatograph (GC) with a micro-electron capture detector (µ-ECD). Intact plants, homografted, and compatible heterografts of zucchini and watermelon plants grown in the contaminated soil were analyzed. Concentrations of p,p'-DDE in roots, shoots, leaves, and fruits were also compared for intact plants, homografted, and heterografted zucchini and watermelon plants. The average DDT concentrations of shoots for zucchini and heterografted watermelon were significantly different (p<0.05) from watermelon but neither was different from each other. The results showed than the accumulation of the DDTs contents had been enhanced by Zucchini rootstocks.