Several studies have been carried out in order to identify the effects of heavy metals in cultivated plants and in some species considered as hyperaccumulators. However, little efforts have been per¬formed on assessment of native species in arid areas for phytoremediation. The current study was carried out ex situ in order to evaluate lead phytoextraction rate in Acacia farnesiana L. Will. Young plants (n=48) were placed in plastic pots, in which a combination of three concentrations of lead was added (0, 250 y 500 mg•kg-1) in the form of Pb(NO3)2 and four nitrogen doses (0, 100, 300 y 500 mg•kg-1) in the form of phospho-nitrate (33-03-00). Photosynthetic rate and lead concentration in root, stem and leaf were evaluated. Nitrogen doses and lead concentrations separately didn’t provoke significant differences in photosynthetic rate of acacia plants, however, the interaction between these factors was statistically significant (P=0.0074), observing that the highest accumulation of lead was in aerial parts of the plants with a mean of 352.34 mg•kg-1.

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