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INVESTIGATOR: Ren, S.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY
PETERSBURG, VIRGINIA 23803

STRENGTHENING VSU`S INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH CAPACITY TO ADDRESS HEAVY METAL CONTAMINATIONS IN VIRGINIA URBAN SOILS

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: Urban Agriculture (UA) is growing rapidlyacross the United States due to the increasing demands of locally grown produce and heightened health perspective. UA offers a range of health, social, environmental and economic benefits, however, it also presents its own challenges/concerns. One of the major concerns is the potential soil contaminations by heavy metals in urban areas. Such concern has also been raised by local stakeholders at Virginia UA Summit in 2015. In response to stakeholders' concerns, we are buildingan integrated interdisciplinary team has been established atVirginia State University (VSU) to address the potential urban land contamination and the related safety concerns. Previous research in PI's Laboratory, funded by USDA Evans Allen program, identified purslane as a significant potential accumulator of various heavy metals, such as arsenic, lead and chromium, in its above-ground tissues.One of purslane accessions not only can accumulate hexavalent chromium (Cr6+) in its shoots, but also that Cr6+ promotes its growith. Such characteristics makepurslane a potential plant species for phytoremediation of soil/water Cr6+ contaminations. In addition, the PI found out that there is variation among purslane biotypes in their ability to accumulate heavy metals. Building up on these findings, this projectwill test the potential use of purslane to clean up soils contaminated by arsenic, lead and chromium and determine the mechanisms of chromium accumulation through comparative genomics study. The PI willalso screenselected fruits and vegetables for heavy metal accumulation in their edible parts and identify species and/or varieties that are safe to grow and consume on mild contaminated urban soils.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this proposal is to strengthen VSU's capacity for long-term research and extension service on heavy metal contaminations in UA and positions VSU to a leading role in support of urban farmers in Virginia. Three specific objectives will be investigated during the grant period, infor 1) evaluate the potential use of Purslane to clean up soils contaminated by arsenic, lead, and chromium; 2) isolate possible candidate genes responsible for chromium shoot accumulation using comparative RNA-seq approach; and 3) examine selected fruits and vegetables crops for heavy metal accumulation in the edible parts and identify species and/or varieties that are safe to grow and consume on contaminated soils.