Phytoremediation Potential of Silicon-Treated Brassica juncea L. in Mining-Affected Water and Soil Composites in South Africa: A Review

Kamogelo Katlego Motshumi, Awonke Mbangi, Elmarie Van Der Watt and Zenzile Peter Khetsha ()
Additional contact information
Kamogelo Katlego Motshumi: Department of Agriculture, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Central University of Technology, Free State, Bloemfontein 9301, South Africa
Awonke Mbangi: Department of Agriculture, Mangosuthu University of Technology, Durban 4031, South Africa
Elmarie Van Der Watt: Department of Soil, Crop and Climate Sciences, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9301, South Africa
Zenzile Peter Khetsha: Department of Agriculture, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Central University of Technology, Free State, Bloemfontein 9301, South Africa

Agriculture, 2025, vol. 15, issue 15, 1-20

Abstract: Heavy metal pollution due to mining activities poses a significant threat to agricultural production, ecosystem health, and food security in South Africa. This review integrates current knowledge on the use of mustard spinach ( Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.) for the bioremediation of polluted water and soil, focusing on enhancing phytoremediation efficiency through the use of silicon-based biostimulant treatments. Mustard spinach is known for its capacity to accumulate and tolerate high levels of toxic metals, such as Pb, Cd, and Hg, owing to its strong physiological and biochemical defense mechanisms, including metal chelation, antioxidant activity, and osmotic adjustment. However, phytoremediation potential is often constrained by the negative impact of heavy metal stress on plant growth. Recent studies have shown that silicon-based biostimulants can alleviate metal toxicity by reducing metal bioavailability, increasing metal immobilization, and improving the antioxidative capacity and growth of plants. Combining silicon amendments with mustard spinach cultivation is a promising, eco-friendly approach to the remediation of mining-impacted soils and waters, potentially restoring agricultural productivity and reducing health risks to the resident populations. This review elucidates the multifaceted mechanisms by which silicon-enhanced phytoremediation operates, including soil chemistry modification, metal sequestration, antioxidant defense, and physiological resilience, while highlighting the practical, field-applicable benefits of this combined approach. Furthermore, it identifies urgent research priorities, such as field validation and the optimization of silicon application methods.

Keywords: phytoremediation; Brassica juncea; silicon biostimulants; toxic metals; trace metal contamination; heavy metal tolerance; metal detoxification; heavy metal pollution; heavy metal stress; mine soil remediation; water pollution; South Africa; plant stress mitigation; environmental contaminants; sustainable remediation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/15/1582/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/15/15/1582/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:15:y:2025:i:15:p:1582-:d:1708187

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().