Populus alba dioctyl phthalate uptake from contaminated water

Phthalates are micro-pollutants of great concern due to their negative effects on ecosystem functioning and human health. Thanks to its capability in uptake and accumulation of organic pollutants, Populus alba L. "Villafranca" clone could be a good candidate for reducing the impacts derived by the persistence of such compounds in the environment. We investigated plant response and uptake of dioctyl phthalate (DOP) by poplar, grown in hydroponics condition, for 21 days with 0, 40, and 400 μg L⁻¹ of d₄-DOP. Treated plants, after 21 days of 400 μg L⁻¹ d₄-DOP, showed an increase in root dry biomass (+ 29%) at the expense of aerial parts (− 8%) compared with control. The root development could be sustained by the increase of Mg uptake by poplar. LC-MS/MS analysis demonstrated the uptake and accumulation in roots of d₄-DOP starting from day one (3.5 ± 3.29 and 7.1 ± 3.28 in 40 and 400 μg L⁻¹ d₄-DOP respectively), despite volatilization of d₄-DOP was observed from nutritive solution. The chemical interaction between d₄-DOP and Zn occurred in roots of plants treated with the high d₄-DOP concentration, without limiting the Zn concentration in leaves. Results confirm the high tolerance of "Villafranca" clone to xenobiotic and suggest the poplar capability in d₄-DOP uptake and accumulation at root level.