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Effects of growth agents and mercury on several herbs

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Abstract

The paper discussed the effects of growth agents and mercury on the growth of four herb species subjected to a pot experiment: Aloe vera, Setcreasea purpurea, Chlorophytum comosum, and Oxalis corniculata. We determined the height and biomass production of selected plants treated with different growth agents and different concentrations of mercury solutions. We evaluated the relative growth rate (RGR) of the experimental plants. The aim of the study was to explore potential novel solutions to the shortcoming of the low speed of phytoremediation. The results showed that the upper parts of Aloe vera and Chlorophytum comosum had the fastest growth in the treatment with water only. In contrast, the upper parts of Setcreasea purpurea grew most intensely after the treatment with Lvyebao Fertilizer, whereas the aboveground parts of Oxalis corniculata had the fastest growth after the application of water and the occasional use of Green Cake Fertilizer. In addition, the tolerance to mercury of Oxalis corniculata was the strongest, whereas that of Chlorophytum comosum was the lowest among the species investigated.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Catheriny, Tengtun Xu, Xinda Wu, Lei Wang, and Xue Zhao at the State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disaster Dynamics and Control Chongqing University, for their help with the laboratory assistance.

Funding

This work was supported by the Research Project of Yangtze Normal University (No. 2016XJQN24), the Science and Technology Research Program of Chongqing Municipal Education Commission (No. KJ1712313), and the Research Project of Yangtze Normal University (No. 2016KYQD28).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yangtze Normal University, 16 Juxian Rd. Lidu, Fuling District, Chongqing, China

    Zhongchuang Liu, Shimin Ding & Yuehan Li

  2. Research Center for Development and Utility of Unique Resources in the Wulingshan Region, Yangtze Normal University, 16 Juxian Rd. Lidu, Fuling District, Chongqing, China

    Zhongchuang Liu, Shimin Ding & Yuehan Li

  3. Collaborative Innovation Center for Green Development in the Wulingshan Region, Yangtze Normal University, 16 Juxian Rd. Lidu, Fuling District, Chongqing, China

    Zhongchuang Liu, Shimin Ding & Yuehan Li

  4. State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disaster Dynamics and Control, Chongqing University, 174 Shazheng Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing, China

    Li-ao Wang

  5. College of Resources and Environmental Science, Chongqing University, 174 Shazheng Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing, China

    Li-ao Wang

Authors
  1. Zhongchuang Liu
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  2. Li-ao Wang
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Correspondence to Zhongchuang Liu.

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Responsible editor: Philippe Garrigues

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Liu, Z., Wang, La., Ding, S. et al. Effects of growth agents and mercury on several herbs. Environ Sci Pollut Res 25, 12012–12021 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-018-1498-0

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