Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Oxford, Mississippi » National Sedimentation Laboratory » Water Quality and Ecology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #347811
Research Project: Strategic Investigations to Improve Water Quality and Ecosystem Sustainability in Agricultural Landscapes

Location: Water Quality and Ecology Research

Title: Leaf composition of American bur-reed (Sparganium americanum Nutt.) to determine pesticide mitigation capability

Author
item ALSHAREKH, ANFAL - Southeast Missouri State University
item SWATZELL, LUCINDA - Southeast Missouri State University
item Moore, Matthew

Submitted to: Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/14/2018
Publication Date: 2/26/2018
Publication URL: http://handle.nal.usda.gov/10113/5908861
Citation: Alsharekh, A., Swatzell, L.J., Moore, M.T. 2018. Leaf composition of American bur-reed (Sparganium americanum Nutt.) to determine pesticide mitigation capability. Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 100(4):576-580. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-018-2298-4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00128-018-2298-4

Interpretive Summary: Pesticides in agricultural runoff can cause problems in rivers, lakes, and streams. Phytoremediation, using plants to clean and filter runoff water, is a way to reduce potential negative impacts of pesticide runoff. However, not all pesticides can be filtered by all types of aquatic plants. This study examined the chemical composition of a bur-reed (an aquatic plant) leaves to determine whether or not pesticides could be effectively filtered out of runoff water. Different tests were conducted, and it was determined the chemical components of the bur-reed leaf did not lend itself to pesticide sorption.

Technical Abstract: American bur-reed (Sparganium americanum Nutt.), a common aquatic plant in the middle and eastern United States and Canada, is often located in water-retaining drainage areas. The purpose of this study was to determine the leaf composition of S. americanum, paying attention to the cuticular waxes and the epidermis, and its ability to sorb pesticides. Sparganium americanum leaves (n=100) were collected in both early (June) and late (August) summer. Transverse sections of S. americanum were stained and studied with brightfield and fluorescence microscopy to estimate the structural and chemical nature of the leaf tissues cross sections. Mean total lipid content in early summer leaf samples (1.45±0.73 mg mL-1) was significantly greater (alpha 0.05) than late summer leaves (1.15±0.42 mg mL-1). Additional analyses on lipid polarity indicated significant differences between early and late summer leaf samples. In vitro analysis of dermal peel permeability exposed to atrazine and malathion determined little to no sorption by the plant. Therefore, the structure of S. americanum leaves suggest this species does not have the capacity of sorbing these pesticides from runoff water.