2015 FEED Thesis Scholar Publishes Findings on the Growth of Jatropha curcas L. Seedlings in Copper-Contaminated Soils Amended with Compost and Trichoderma pseudokoningii Rifai

April 20, 2015, The Philippines. Financed through a thesis grant from Friends of Overseas Filipinos Inc., (FOFI) – now Fostering Education & Environment for Development (FEED, Inc), UPLB’s Institute of Biological Sciences student Ms. Cyrene Fontanilla, a FOFI thesis grantee, got her research published in the Philippine Agriscientist (ISSN 0031-7454).

To access the thesis research published, click here: Fontanilla & Cuevas – Nov. 30.

Or access the report via the link below:

https://feed.org.ph/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/fontanilla-cuevas-nov-30.pdf

In Summary: Growth of Jatropha curcas L. Seedlings in Copper-Contaminated Soils Amended with Compost and Trichoderma pseudokoningii Rifai

Cyreene S. Fontanilla (1) and Virginia C. Cuevas (2) *

Portion of the thesis of the senior author for the Bachelor of Science in Biology (Ecology)

Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, University of the Philippines Manila
Institute of Biological Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baños, College, Laguna 4031, Philippines

*Author for correspondence; email: vccuevas@yahoo.com; Tel.: + 63 49 536-3368; Fax: + 63 49 536-2517; Mobile: + 63 916 3808718

Conclusion of the Study:

“Results of the pot experiment revealed that J. curcas L. can tolerate up to 42 ppm Cu in the soil, but cannot grow in soil with a high level of contamination of up to 212 ppm. Addition of compost in the potting medium (at least 20% w/w per plant) greatly improved the growth performance of J. curcas at both low and high levels of Cu contamination. Inoculation of the soil with T. pseudokoningii R. did not protect the seedlings from Cu toxicity. In both soil types, amendment with compost resulted in 83–89 % reduction in the Cu concentration in the potting media. Reduction in the Cu concentration was largely attributed to the metal-binding properties of organic matter in compost. In addition, soil pH also increased in both soil types amended with compost (4.6– 7.6 in high-Cu and 5.4–7.7 in low-Cu contaminated soils). Increase in the soil pH decreased the solubility of Cu. Growth of J. curcas seedlings in Cu-contaminated soils was stunted due to periods of leaf defoliation, probably a mechanism of the plant to decrease Cu concentration in its body. J. curcas is a Cu accumulator; it was able to accumulate Cu in its plant organs, especially in the root, more than the metabolic need of 20 ppm. Cu accumulation in all the plant parts was in the order of roots, leaves and stem.”

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