Jitrana Kengkanna
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama VI Road, Bangkok, Thailand 10400, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University, Rama VI Road, Bangkok, Thailand 10400
Corresponding Author:jitrana.keg@student.mahidol.edu
Author ProfileAlexander Bucksch
Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, 120 Carlton Street, Athens, Georgia, USA 30602, Department of Plant Biology, University of Georgia, 120 Carlton Street, Athens, Georgia, USA 30602
Author ProfileAbstract
Arsenic (As) pollutes large regions of Asia. Despite phytoremediation
initiatives using hyperaccumulators to remove As from contaminated soil,
farmers remain reluctant to employ such strategies because of the low
biomass and economic value of hyperaccumulating plants. In this study,
we demonstrate that cassava can be used for As remediation using a
high-throughput root phenotyping platform for cassava roots that we
previously developed [1]. Using this phenotyping platform, we
identified contrasting root traits associated with As uptake for the two
genotypes Rayong 11(R11) and Rayong 90 (R90). Both cassava varieties
were grown in pot systems under control (0 mg kg-1 As) and high As (50
mg kg-1 As) conditions and harvested 120 days after planting. We found
As stress to reduce shoot and plant dry weight by 57% and 53%,
respectively, whereas root dry weight and root traits showed only a
slight change. Under As stress, R11 had a 75% higher nodal root number
and a 59% lower basal root number than R90. Moreover, R11 root (100 mg
kg-1 As) and branch (9 mg kg-1 As) tissues had considerably higher As
concentrations than the same tissues in R90. The bioaccumulation
coefficient for R11 (2.1) was significantly greater than for R90 (0.9).
Additionally, bioethanol yields were unaffected by the presence of As in
cassava starch. We suggest that cassava is a promising crop for
phytoremediation and that root phenotyping is essential to breed cassava
varieties with enhanced As uptake.