Search Results (31)

Slope instability in mountainous regions poses serious challenges to infrastructure resilience, particularly under anthropogenic pressures and climatic variability. This study evaluates the mechanical reinforcement provided by Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides) to stabilize slopes in seven representative soils of the Quillollaco Formation, southern Ecuador. Direct shear tests on soil–root composites were used to quantify root-induced improvements in cohesion (c′) and internal friction angle (ϕ′), and slope stability was analyzed with the Spencer limit equilibrium method for heights of 5, 10, and 15 m under dry conditions. Results demonstrated significant reinforcement effects, with Vetiver increasing shear strength parameters at all depths and maintaining safety factors above 1.10 in every scenario. The highest gains, up to 16%, were observed in high-plasticity soils (CH and MH). Sensitivity and inferential statistical analyses confirmed the robustness of these improvements, with over 95% of paired t-tests yielding p < 0.05. These findings highlight Vetiver as a reliable nature-based solution for slope stabilization in tropical mountain environments, offering a sustainable and transferable alternative to conventional geotechnical methods. Full article

The growing global demand for mined commodities has intensified the environmental challenges associated with mine tailings. Currently, an estimated 62,381 mining properties impact approximately 50 million square kilometers of the Earth’s land surface. Annual tailings production exceeds 10 billion tonnes and is projected to reach 19 billion tonnes by 2025. This review examines phytoremediation strategies and the associated legal framework in South Africa, highlighting a critical disconnect between existing remediation approaches, environmental legislation, and the broader sustainable development agenda. To address these gaps, a fundamental shift towards a circular economy paradigm is essential—one that aligns research, policy, and practice to foster innovative, sustainable solutions. Phytoremediation using bioenergy crops such as Vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) offers a holistic approach that integrates environmental restoration with circularity and economic viability, while avoiding competition with food crops for arable land. Full article

Chrysopogon zizanioides (Linn.) Nash, commonly known as vetiver, has been an integral component of traditional medicinal systems across India and Asia for centuries. The roots and essential oils of this aromatic grass have been widely utilized for their anti-inflammatory, analgesic, anticancer, antioxidant, antimicrobial, and wound-healing properties. Recent scientific investigations have provided substantial evidence supporting these traditional claims, revealing a diverse array of bioactive phytochemicals with significant pharmacological potential. Preclinical studies have demonstrated the efficacy of C. zizanioides extracts in mitigating inflammation, alleviating pain, combating microbial infections, and even exhibiting anticancer and antidiabetic effects. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the current literature on the therapeutic properties of C. zizanioides, summarizing findings from in vitro assays, cell line studies, animal models, and available clinical studies. The bioactive constituents responsible for these pharmacological effects, including essential oil components and isolated fractions, are discussed, along with their proposed mechanisms of action. These mechanisms involve modulation of oxidative stress, inflammatory pathways, microbial proliferation, and pain perception. Additionally, current research limitations, gaps in knowledge, and future directions for investigating medicinal applications of C. zizanioides are explored. Emerging scientific evidence increasingly validates traditional claims regarding the healing properties of this versatile medicinal grass. Full article

Industrial munition facilities are increasingly manufacturing insensitive high explosives (IHEs) to improve safety. The explosive residues in wastewater from these facilities are treated to meet regulatory standards. However, the resulting effluent contains elevated levels of mineralized nitrogen species. This study evaluated the potential of vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides), a non-invasive perennial species, to remove high concentrations of nitrate, nitrite, and ammonium from munition plant wastewater. Vetiver was grown hydroponically in synthetic wastewater containing high levels of nitrogen compounds simulating munitions plant effluents. Vetiver plants were treated with one nitrogen species at a time, with concentrations ranging from 165 to 24,700 mg N/L of nitrate, 100 to 4000 mg N/L of nitrite, and 260 to 39,000 mg N/L of ammonium. Nitrogen concentrations in the media and plant responses were monitored over time. The results showed significant nitrogen removal at lower concentration ranges. When concentrations exceeded 3800 mg N/L of nitrate, 800 mg N/L of nitrite, and 2600 mg N/L of ammonium, the removal rates declined after 7 days. At higher nitrogen levels, vetiver exhibited stress symptoms such as chlorosis and elevated antioxidant enzyme activity. Our study demonstrates the potential of vetiver grass in treating nitrogen-rich wastewater from the munition industry and provides a baseline for future large-scale studies to optimize the technology. Full article

This study implemented and assessed, over a period of four weeks, a full-scale constructed wetland designed to collect and treat the greywater for a rural household located in an arid environment typical of Africa’s Sahel region. The system was constructed from local materials and consisted of a shower room, a receiving basin, a pre-treatment filter, and a subsurface horizontal flow wetland planted with Chrysopogon zizanioides. Results showed the overall removal of organic matter was greater than 90%, and orthophosphate and ammonium were reduced by 73% and 60%, respectively, allowing for the treated water to retain some embedded nutrients. The removal efficiency of fecal bacteria varied from 3.41 (enterococci) to 4.19 (fecal coliforms) log10 units which meets World Health Organization Guidelines for restricted irrigation. Our assessment of the full-scale household constructed wetland technology adds to the relatively low number of constructed wetland studies conducted outside a laboratory setting. Furthermore, it supports efforts to promote safe reuse of an underutilized resource at the rural household level in Sub-Saharan Africa and other arid regions in the developing world, supporting prospects for using treated greywater for agricultural reuse in regions that experience water scarcity, climate variability, and land degradation. Full article

The reservoir coastal zone is the transitional zone between the terrestrial ecosystem and the aquatic ecosystem. Soil is an essential part of the terrestrial ecosystem and vital for life on Earth. To understand the composition and diversity of the soil eukaryotic microbial community under the background of artificial planting of Chrysopogon zizanioides in various habitats after reservoir construction, including the original habitat (OH), the hydro-fluctuation belt (HB), and the road slope (RS), and to analyze the interaction between the main groups of eukaryotic microorganisms, this study conducted 18S rDNA amplification high-throughput sequencing of the soil eukaryotic microbial community. The study found that the dominant phylum of eukaryotic microorganisms in the three habitats was consistent, but there were significant differences in the community and diversity of eukaryotic microorganisms in the three habitats. The differences in fungal communities between sample sites were greater than those of soil microfauna. Correlation analysis showed that nitrogen, phosphorus, and organic matter were significantly correlated with eukaryotic microbial diversity, with alkaline-hydrolyzed nitrogen and total phosphorus significantly correlated with fungal communities and pH and water content correlated with soil microfauna. Co-occurrence network analysis found that the interactions between fungi and the correlation between fungi and soil microfauna dominated the eukaryotic microbial community, and the interactions between eukaryotic microbes in different habitats were dominated by positive correlations. After the construction of the reservoir, the newly formed hydro-fluctuation belt reduced the types of interrelationships between fungi and microfauna compared to the original habitat. The road slope provided protection of the supporting project for the reservoir construction, although there was also planted vegetation. Eukaryotic microbes declined significantly due to the damage to and loss of the organic layer, and the decline in microfauna was the most significant, resulting in a simple structure of the soil food web, which affects the function and stability of the soil ecosystem. Full article

In this study, a field experiment was conducted to evaluate the growth and yield responses of Sri Lankan lowland rice (Oryza sativa L.) with the application of beneficial Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculum and intercropping with highly mycorrhizal-dependent vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides L.) under two different soil nutrient management systems (NMSs): conventional/chemical (CNMS) and organic (ONMS). The experiment was designed as a split plot with three blocks. Each CNMS and ONMS experiment included an untreated control (T0) and three treatments—AMF inoculation (T1), vetiver intercropping (T2), and the combination of AMF and vetiver (T3). According to the results, the colonization of rice roots with AMF was not affected significantly by the treatments and ranged from 0–15.8%. The effect was very low or absent in the early stage and then higher in the later stages of the rice plant. Furthermore, plant growth was not significantly different between the two NMSs, although grain yield was significantly higher (p < 0.05) in ONMS than for the respective controls (T0), with the order T1 (0.45 kg/m²) > T2 (0.42 kg/m²) > T3 (0.41 kg/m²) in CNMS and T2 (0.44 kg/m²) > T1 (0.41 kg/m²) > T3 (0.40 kg/m²), thus suggesting the utilization of AMF and vetiver in a lowland rice farming system is beneficial. Full article

Soil lead (Pb) contamination in Pb paint-contaminated homes is a serious health risk in urban areas. Phytoextraction is a green and sustainable technology for soil Pb remediation, but its efficiency depends on the geochemical partitioning of Pb in soil. Following successful laboratory, greenhouse, and panel experiments, a field study was conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of a chemically catalyzed phytoextraction model for Pb removal. A biodegradable chelating agent, ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid (EDDS) was applied during Pb phytoextraction by vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) in a Pb-contaminated community garden in Jersey City, New Jersey. Results showed that soil Pb concentration was reduced from 1144 to 359 mg/kg in 3 years, despite ongoing Pb input to the field plots from a nearby construction site. EDDS was effective in converting non-plant-available forms of Pb (i.e., carbonate-bound, oxide-bound, and organic-bound forms) to plant-available forms (i.e., water-soluble and exchangeable forms). With EDDS application, vetiver roots accumulated 532, 231, and 401 mg/kg of Pb in Years 1, 2, and 3, respectively, which were higher than the values obtained without EDDS applications (228, 154, and 214 mg/kg). This field study demonstrated the effectiveness of a chemically catalyzed phytoextraction model for Pb removal from urban soils. Full article

In this study, a plant-based adsorbent was used in order to remove lead, nickel, cobalt and cadmium metals from a wastewater sample collected from Sungun mine real wastewater. The biosorbent was one of the most abundant native plants of the Sungun region, named Chrysopogon zizanioides (C. zizanioides). The root powder of C. zizanioides was used in order to remove heavy metals from the wastewater sample. The biosorbent was characterized by FTIR, SEM, HR-TEM, EDS, BET and ZPC analyses. The effect of pH, initial metals concentrations, contact time and temperature on the biosorption process were accurately investigated. The metal concentrations were significantly reduced to lower concentrations after the biosorption process, which indicated that the C. zizanioides root powder removal efficiency was more than 95% for the metals from the wastewater sample, with maximum adsorption capacities of 31.78, 21.52, 26.69 and 27.81 mg/g, for Pb(II), Co(II), Cd(II) and Ni(II) ions, respectively. Furthermore, the adsorption kinetic results showed that the pseudo-second-order kinetic model correlated with the experimental data well, with correlation coefficient values of 1 for all metals. Isotherm studies illustrated that the Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich (D-R) isotherm models could describe the obtained equilibrium data well. Moreover, from the D-R model, it was found that the biosorption type was physical. The thermodynamic studies demonstrated that the metals’ biosorption was an exothermic and spontaneous process. Moreover, the reusability of the biosorbent to be used in several successive cycles, and also the percentage of recovery of adsorbed metals from the biosorbent, was investigated. Altogether, being simple and cost-effective and having a high adsorption rate, fast kinetics, easy separation and high reusability prove that C. zizanioides root powder shows significant performance for the removal of heavy metals from waste effluents. Full article

Vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) is well-known for its contaminant phytoextraction potential and its capacity to reduce soil erosion, owing to its massive, dense root system. However, the shoots are not major contributors to either of these processes, and are either not utilized at all or they become part of the waste stream. It is well-recognized that lignocellulosic biomass can serve as a source of raw material to produce second-generation bioethanol. This study investigated the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) of acid–alkali pretreated vetiver (VG) shoots by Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Vetiver shoots were obtained from three sources: (1) shoots from VG grown in clean potting soil, (2) shoots from VG used for antibiotics phytoextraction from a constructed wetland setup, and (3) shoots from VG used for lead phytoextraction during soil remediation. Bioethanol yield from the shoots from clean soil was the highest (19.58 g/L), followed by the one used for lead phytoextraction (19.50 g/L) and the one used for antibiotics phytoextraction (19.17 g/L). Bioethanol yield and quality obtained from these three VG shoots was superior or similar to other C4 grasses used for bioethanol generation. This study successfully demonstrated that spent vetiver biomass after phytoextraction applications can be repurposed to generate high-quality bioethanol. Full article

Possibilities to combine augmentative biological control using Trichogramma spp. egg parasitoids and conservation biological control through habitat manipulation, for the management of rice leaffolder and rice stemborer pests have received only cursory mention in the literature. We reviewed information on the use of Trichogramma releases and on habitat manipulation to manage leaffolders and stemborers in rice. Stemborers have become a priority for biological control since the 1990s with research focusing mainly on Chilo suppressalis in China and Iran, Scirpophaga incertulas in South and Southeast Asia, and Chilo agamemnon in Egypt. In most cases, 100 K wasps (T. japonicum or T. chilonis) released over 30–100 release points ha⁻¹ at least once during early crop stages, resulted in good control (>50% reduction in damage). Despite positive results accumulated over decades, larger scale releases in rice have only been conducted very recently. Research on conservation biological control of stemborers has focused on manipulating rice field habitat, particularly along rice bunds (levees). Several studies reported higher Trichogramma densities or greater egg parasitism in rice fields with flowering plants on bunds compared to control fields (without bund vegetation and usually with insecticides). These trends have mainly been attributed to nectar as a supplementary food for the adult wasps, although evidence for this mechanism is weak. Trap plants, such as vetiver grass (Chrysopogon zizanioides) attract ovipositing stemborers, but suppress larval development. Repellent and banker plants have not yet been identified for rice stemborers or leaffolders. We outline the opportunities and challenges for combining augmentative and conservation biological control of leaffolders and stemborers in rice. Full article

Since ancient times, Chrysopogon zizanioides has been utilized as a traditional medicinal plant for the treatment of numerous ailments, but neither its plant extract form nor its phytoconstituents have been fully explored. With this in mind, the present research was designed to isolate and structurally characterize one of its chemical constituents and evaluate its cytotoxic potential. Therefore, an ethanolic extract of roots was prepared and subjected to column chromatography using solvents of varying polarities. The obtained pure compound was characterized using various chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques such as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), carbon and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and liquid chromatography–mass spectroscopy (LC-MS) and identified as longifolene. This compound was evaluated for its cytotoxic potential using an MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay on the prostate (DU-145), oral (SCC-29B) cancer cell line and normal kidney cell line (Vero cells), taking doxorubicin as a standard drug. The obtained outcomes revealed that longifolene possesses cytotoxic potential against both prostate (IC₅₀ = 78.64 µg/mL) as well as oral (IC₅₀ = 88.92 µg/mL) cancer cell lines with the least toxicity in healthy Vero cells (IC₅₀ = 246.3 µg/mL) when compared to doxorubicin. Hence, this primary exploratory study of longifolene exhibited its cytotoxic potency along with wide safety margins in healthy cell lines, giving an idea that the compounds possess some ability to differentiate between cancerous cells and healthy cells. Full article

This study aimed to investigate the chemical composition as well as the antibacterial, antiparasitic, and cytotoxic potentialities of the Brazilian Chrysopogon zizanioides root essential oil (CZ-EO) In addition, CZ-EO cytotoxicity to LLCMK₂ adherent epithelial cells was assessed. The major compounds identified in CZ-EO were khusimol (30.0 ± 0.3%), β-eudesmol (10.8 ± 0.3%), α-muurolene (6.0 ± 0.1%), and patchouli alcohol (5.6 ± 0.2%). CZ-EO displayed optimal antibacterial activity against Prevotella nigrescens, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella melaninogenica, and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, with Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) values between 22 and 62.5 µg/mL and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) values between 22 and 400 µg/mL. CZ-EO was highly active against the L. amazonensis promastigote and amastigote forms (IC₅₀ = 7.20 and 16.21 µg/mL, respectively) and the T. cruzi trypomastigote form (IC₅₀ = 11.2 µg/mL). Moreover, CZ-EO showed moderate cytotoxicity to LLCMK₂ cells, with CC₅₀ = 565.4 µg/mL. These results revealed an interesting in vitro selectivity of CZ-EO toward the L. amazonensis promastigote and amastigote forms (Selectivity Index, SI = 78.5 and 34.8, respectively) and the T. cruzi trypomastigote form (SI = 50.5) compared to LLCMK₂ cells. These results showed the promising potential of CZ-EO for developing new antimicrobial, antileishmanial, and antitrypanosomal drugs. Full article

Phytoremediation is limited when heavy metals reduce soil quality and, subsequently, inhibit plant growth. In this study, we evaluated the use of attapulgite and bentonite as amendments in soil contaminated with multiple metals, to improve the phytoremediation capacity of Vetiver grass and Indian mustard. A 21-day greenhouse study was undertaken, to investigate plant tolerance in heavy-metal-contaminated soil, as well as heavy-metal absorption in plant roots and shoots. The results showed a generally higher root-uptake rate for Cr, Cu, Co, Ni, and Zn in Vetiver grass. Overall, the highest absorption for Ni, Cr, Co, Cu, and Zn was 1.37, 2.79, 1.39, 2.48 and 3.51 mg/kg, respectively, in the roots of Vetiver grass. Clay minerals inhibited the translocation of some heavy metals. The addition of attapulgite improved the phytoremediation capacity of Vetiver for Ni, Cr, and Co, while bentonite improved Vetiver’s absorption of Cu and Zn. The translocation factor for Ni in one of the attapulgite treatments was 2, indicating that attapulgite improved the phytoextraction of Ni by Vetiver grass. Our results confirm that attapulgite at 2.5% (w/w) can successfully improve the phytostabilization of heavy metals by Vetiver grass. Indian mustard showed no significant metal uptake that could be detected by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), despite the addition of attapulgite and bentonite. This research contributes to the knowledge repository of suitable amendments that improve the phytoremediation properties of Vetiver grass. Full article

Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides (L.) Roberty) is a major tropical perfume crop. Access to its essential oil (EO)-filled roots is nevertheless cumbersome and land-damaging. This study, therefore, evaluated the potential of vetiver cultivation under soilless high-pressure aeroponics (HPA) for volatile organic compound (VOC) production. The VOC accumulation in the roots was investigated by transmission electron microscopy, and the composition of these VOCs was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC/MS) after sampling by headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME). The HPA-grown plants were compared to plants that had been grown in potting soil and under axenic conditions. The HPA-grown plants were stunted, demonstrating less root biomass than the plants that had been grown in potting soil. The roots were slender, thinner, more tapered, and lacked the typical vetiver fragrance. HPA cultivation massively impaired the accumulation of the less-volatile hydrocarbon and oxygenated sesquiterpenes that normally form most of the VOCs. The axenic, tissue-cultured plants followed a similar and more exacerbated trend. Ultrastructural analyses revealed that the HPA conditions altered root ontogeny, whereby the roots contained fewer EO-accumulating cells and hosted fewer and more immature intracellular EO droplets. These preliminary results allowed to conclude that HPA-cultivated vetiver suffers from altered development and root ontology disorders that prevent EO accumulation. Full article