Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate how biomass production and element distribution (nutrients and heavy metals) among plant organs (roots, stems, and leaves) were influenced by substrate physical and chemical properties, using acidophilic plants of Vaccinium corymbosum cultivars Bluecrop and Duke. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted with highbush blueberry plants grown in an uncontaminated acidic peat-based control substrate (TS0) and two alkaline substrates enriched with remediated sediment (TS50 and TS100), characterized by high pH, Ca, and heavy metal concentrations. Both plant cultivars that were cultivated in sediment–based substrates exhibited a substantial reduction in plant growth, biomass production, and leaf chlorophyll levels. Limited translocation of microelements from belowground organs to leaves was observed across all plant samples. Cu, Fe, and Pb were predominantly accumulated in the roots of plants grown in TS-based substrates, with both cultivars acting as excluders for these metals by restricting their transport from roots to shoots. Mn and Zn were primarily retained in the stems and roots of highbush blueberry plants, with lower leaf accumulation. Notably, only Mn exhibited high translocation and bioaccumulation factor values (on average, 3.43 and 6.68, respectively), highlighting the species’ strong capacity for Mn accumulation. Specifically, control plants showed significantly higher Mn concentrations than those grown in TS-enriched substrates, likely due to the acidic conditions that enhance the bioavailability of this metal and the low Ca concentration in TS0, which is known to disrupt Mn accumulation in shoots. However, this accumulation did not reach toxic levels for the plants and did not negatively impact the physiological processes of control plants, which remained particularly efficient in the Duke cv, known for its Mn resistance. This study highlights the ability of highbush blueberry plants to selectively accumulate heavy metals when grown in polluted substrates under suitable conditions, making them a valuable model for understanding metal accumulation mechanisms in the Ericaceae family.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Sediment substrates substantially reduced blueberry growth, biomass and chlorophyll.
- Taxon
- Highbush Blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosumt0 - Treatment
- sediment–based substratese0
- Outcome
- plant growth, biomass production, and leaf chlorophyll levelse0
- Direction
- reductione0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Both plant cultivars that were cultivated in sediment–based substrates exhibited a substantial reduction in plant growth, biomass production, and leaf chlorophyll levels.”
t0“Highbush Blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Microelement translocation from belowground organs to leaves was limited.
- Taxon
- Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Organ / stage
- belowground organs to leavese0
- Outcome
- translocation of microelementse0
- Qualifier
- Limitede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Limited translocation of microelements from belowground organs to leaves was observed across all plant samples.”
t0“Highbush Blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Cu, Fe and Pb accumulated mainly in roots under TS substrates.
- Taxon
- Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Organ / stage
- rootse0
- Treatment
- TS-based substratese0
- Outcome
- Cu, Fe, and Pbe0
- Direction
- predominantly accumulatede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Cu, Fe, and Pb were predominantly accumulated in the roots of plants grown in TS-based substrates”
t0“Highbush Blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Both cultivars restricted Cu, Fe and Pb movement from roots to shoots.
- Taxon
- Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Outcome
- transport from roots to shootse0
- Direction
- restrictinge0
- Qualifier
- both cultivarse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“both cultivars acting as excluders for these metals by restricting their transport from roots to shoots.”
t0“Highbush Blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Mn and Zn were retained mainly in stems and roots with lower leaf accumulation.
- Taxon
- highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume0
- Organ / stage
- stems and rootse0
- Outcome
- Mn and Zne0
- Direction
- primarily retainede0
- Qualifier
- lower leaf accumulatione0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Mn and Zn were primarily retained in the stems and roots of highbush blueberry plants, with lower leaf accumulation.”
Claim · model-written summary
Mn had mean translocation factor 3.43.
- Taxon
- Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Outcome
- Mn exhibited high translocatione0
- Direction
- highe0
- Value
- 3.43e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“only Mn exhibited high translocation and bioaccumulation factor values (on average, 3.43 and 6.68, respectively)”
t0“Highbush Blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Mn had mean bioaccumulation factor 6.68.
- Taxon
- Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Outcome
- bioaccumulation factore0
- Direction
- highe0
- Value
- 6.68e0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“only Mn exhibited high translocation and bioaccumulation factor values (on average, 3.43 and 6.68, respectively)”
t0“Highbush Blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Control plants had significantly higher Mn concentrations than TS-enriched plants.
- Taxon
- Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Treatment
- TS-enriched substratese0
- Outcome
- Mn concentrationse0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- control plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“control plants showed significantly higher Mn concentrations than those grown in TS-enriched substrates”
t0“Highbush Blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Mn accumulation did not reach toxic levels or negatively affect control plants physiologically.
- Taxon
- Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Outcome
- physiological processes of control plantse0
- Direction
- did not negatively impacte0
- Qualifier
- did not reach toxic levelse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“this accumulation did not reach toxic levels for the plants and did not negatively impact the physiological processes of control plants”
t0“Highbush Blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Physiological processes remained particularly efficient in Duke.
- Taxon
- Highbush BlueberryVaccinium corymbosumt0
- Material
- Dukee0
- Outcome
- particularly efficiente0
- Qualifier
- Mn resistancee0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“which remained particularly efficient in the Duke cv, known for its Mn resistance.”
t0“Highbush Blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors identify selective heavy-metal accumulation in blueberries under suitable polluted-substrate conditions.
- Taxon
- highbush blueberryVaccinium corymbosume0
- Treatment
- polluted substratese0
- Outcome
- selectively accumulate heavy metalse0
- Qualifier
- under suitable conditionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the ability of highbush blueberry plants to selectively accumulate heavy metals when grown in polluted substrates under suitable conditions”
The same questions in other papers
growing medium · nutrient: content · Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry)Positive and negative results
1 in the opposite direction
- positive
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.