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Project about the phytoremediation ability of Chelidonium majus

Sat, 2019-02-09 20:31 — Gergana Vasileva

Project "Chelidonium majus - phytoremediation ability and monitoring of its alkaloid content in stress conditions through classic and in vitro techniques"

 
The poject was awarded in the competition of projects of young researchers and postdocs – 2018, funded by the National Science Fund (contract КП-06-М26/4, 01.12.2018).
 
During recent decades, toxic high levels of heavy metals have been reported for air, water, soil and plants all over the world. The ability of plants to remove different environmental pollutants and convert them into harmless compounds or in a form suitable to be collected from the environment, remains unused. Phytoremediation is distinguished as a sustainable, low-cost technology.
 
Chelidonium majus L. is a perennial herbaceous medicinal plant which is suitable study subject for research on resistance potential to various types of factors, including anthropogenic. It is rich in alkaloids, but it is poorly understood how anthropogenic activity and stressful conditions affect their content.
 
This project aims at using the classical and in vitro techniques to investigate the phytoremediation potential of the species Chelidonium majus and its resistance to various types of stress factors and their influence on the alkaloid content in the aboveground part of the plant as a response and strategy for overcoming the stress conditions.
 
The implementation of the project:
  • will provide a response to the prospects of the species for phytoremediation;
  • will help to determine the variability of the alkaloid content, according to the applied stress factors;
  • new data will be obtained about the species susceptibility to in vitro cultivation under stress conditions and what type of cultures can be induced in C. majus.
The discovery of new heavy metal accumulators and the enrichment of scientific knowledge on phytoremediation will contribute to the development, promotion and ever-increasing application of green technologies to soil contamination by heavy metals.

Project duration: 2018-2020
Project leader: Dr Iva Doycheva

 


by Dr. Radut.