Skip to main content
  • English
  • Serbian
  • About Journal
  • Editorial Board
  • Editorial Policy
  • Author Guidelines
  • LATEST ISSUE
  • Archive
    • Issue 209 (2022)
    • Issue 208 (2021)
    • Issue 207 (2021)
    • Issue 206 (2020)
    • Issue 205 (2020)
    • Issue 204 (2019)
    • Issue 203 (2019)
    • Issue 201-202 (2018)
    • Issue 199-200 (2017)
    • Issue 197-198 (2016)
    • Issue 195-196 (2015)
    • Issue 193-194 (2014)
    • Issue 191-192 (2013)
    • Issue 189-190 (2012)
    • Issue 187-188 (2011)
    • Issue 185-186 (2010)
    • Issue 183-184 (2009)
    • Issue 181-182 (2008)
    • Issue 179-180 (2007)
    • Issue 177-178 (2006)
    • Issue 175-176 (2005)
    • Issue 173-174 (2004)
    • Issue 171-172 (2003)
    • Issue 169-170 (2002)
    • Issue 167-168 (2001)
Poplar
2022, Issue 210, p. 73-87

Review paper
DOI: 10.5937/topola2210073S
UDC: 543.393:633/635.054

Woody plants in phytoremediation of pollution of agricultural land with nitrates and pesticides


Mirna Štrbac 1*, Maja Manojlović 1, Ranko Čabilovski 1, Klara Petković 1, Dragan Kovačević 1, Andrej Pilipović 2


1 University of Novi Sad, Faculty of Agriculture, Novi Sad, Serbia
2 University of Novi Sad, Institute of Lowland Forestry and Environment, Novi Sad, Serbia

Corresponding author:
Mirna Štrbac, E-mail: mirna.strbac@polj.uns.ac.rs


Abstract

Although plants have a natural potential for removing various types of pollutants from nature, phytoremediation is a relatively new area of research and has a commercial application. By intensive application of nitrogen fertilisers and pesticides in agriculture, their excessive amounts reach the soil and accumulate or flow into deeper layers of soil and groundwater. So far, most soil remediation studies have been done with herbaceous plants, but they have not shown high efficiency. The paper gives an overview of the possibilities and advantages of using woody plants in the phytoremediation of soils contaminated with nitrates and pesticides. The choice of woody species that can be successfully applied is limited and the best results were obtained with poplars and willows. Unlike nitrates, which are easily absorbed by trees, pesticides are complex organic compounds and their remediation takes place through mechanisms such as rhizodegradation and phytodegradation. Poplar, as the most commonly used woody species for phytoremediation, has shown high efficiency in removing nitrates and pesticides, especially herbicides. Examples of successful soil and groundwater remediation can be found in the remediation of atrazine, alachlor, metribuzin, paraquat and others.


Keywords: poplars, willows, remediation, soil, groundwater, nitrates, herbicides
Back to Top

University of Novi Sad
Institute of Lowland Forestry and Environment
Antona Čehova 13d
21000 Novi Sad
Republic of Serbia
Tel: +381 21 540 383
E-mail: ilfe@uns.ac.rs
www.ilfe.org