Aquatic Plants for Phytotechnology

Aquatic macrophytes are represented by a variety of algal and macrophytic species that occur in many types of habitats. Members of Cyperaceae, Potamogetonaceae, Ranunculaceae, Typhaceae, Haloragaceae, Hydrocharitaceae, Najadaceae, Juncaceae, Pontederiaceae, Zosterophyllaceae, Lemnaceae, mainly represent aquatic plants. These plants are either emergent, submerged, or free floating. Some non-vascular plants, like macro algae, are rootless and capable of growing with their thalli in the water. Aquatic macrophytes are extremely important components of an aquatic ecosystem for primary productivity and nutrient cycling (Aksorn and Visoottiviseth 2004; Prasad et al. 2001, 2005). They also provide habitat, food and refuge for a variety of other organisms. The aquatic plants have been reported for long to detoxify environmental pollutants. The notable environmental contaminants are radionuclides as well as inorganic and organic pollutants which can be phytoremedaited in various ways (Fig. 1). The efficacy of the detoxification or remediation function of the of aquatic plants depends on a) sediment geochemistry, b) water physico-chemistry (Adriano et al. 2004), c) plant physiology (Prasad 2004) d) plant genotype and e) nature of the contaminant or pollutant (Pilon-Smits 2005).