Growth and ability of Senna alata in phytoremediation of soil contaminated with heavy metals

The performance and impact of Senna alata on experimental heavy metal contaminated soil were investigated in this study. Soils in different pots were contaminated with different levels of lead, nickel, chromium and cadmium based on WHO limits for heavy metals. Seeds of S. alata were planted in the contaminated soils. The plant growth was studied for 60 days. Some soil parameters and heavy metal contents of the soil were evaluated at the beginning and at the end of the study. The leaf area, the plant height and the number of actively growing stems decreased with increase in the amount of each metal added to the soil. At 60 days, there was significant reduction (p