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VETIVER SYSTEM
FOR TREATMENT OF POLLUTED WATER
AND CONTAMINATED LAND
All materials in this document remain the property of Veticon Consulting P/L.
Permission must be obtained for their use. Copyright © 2008
SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS SUITABLE
FOR PHYTO REMEDIATION
MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
• Stiff and erect stems
• Deep and extensive root system
• It has no above or underground stems
PHYSIOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
• Tolerant to drought, water logging, acidic, alkaline, sodic and
saline conditions
• Tolerant to highly polluted environment such as heavy metal and
nutrient contamination
• Tolerant high level of herbicides and pesticide in the soil
• Growing on all soil types: heavy clay to sand dune
GENETIC CHARACTERISTICS
• It is sterile, it flowers but sets no seeds
• Therefore it is non invasive and no weed potential
• It can be eliminated easily by Glyphosate spray or uprooting
R & D ON ADVERSE GROWING CONDITIONS
THRIVE ON TEMPERATURE RANGE BETWEEN -14 AND 550c
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Temperature
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/night 13 oC.
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+,-.,/012/,31/,01-,415
Vetiver
Mangrove
seedlings
Salt tolerance level of Vetiver grass as compared
with some crop and pasture species grown in Australia.
Control
Highly tolerant to acid sulfate soil conditions with pH = 3.0
One year after planting
R & D ON NUTRIENT UPTAKE AND
TOLERANCE
NITROGEN UPTAKE
1200 1,140
1000
Potential P uptakes as
compared with others
N kg/ha/year
800
600
600 500
360
plants
400
250
200 90
0
PHOSPHORUS UPTAKE
m
us
ss
ss
d
as
an
hu
ra
ra
pt
gr
yl
rg
G
ly 160 149
Dr
ca
So
es
yu
Ry
Eu
er
od
ku
ge
tiv
140
Ki
Rh
ra
Ve
Fo
120
P kg/ha/year
Plant Species 100 90 90
80 70 70
60
Potential N uptakes as 40
15
20
compared with others 0
plants
nd
ss
ss
s
m
us
as
hu
ra
ra
la
pt
gr
ry
rg
ly
D
ca
ye
So
s
u
de
uy
er
Eu
R
ge
ho
tiv
ik
ra
K
R
Ve
Fo
Plant Species
Vetiver growth increased with N application up to 6t/ha/year, higher
rates did not affect yield
100
80
Shoot Dry Weight (g/pot)
60
40
20
0
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000
N Application (kg/ha/yr)
Vetiver growth increased with P application up to 250/ha/year,
higher rates did not affect yield
100
80
Shoot Dry Weight (g/pot)
60
40
20
0
0 200 400 600 800 1000
P Application (kg/ha/yr)
The highest yield
treatment (N= 6000
kg/ha/year and P= 250
kg/ha/year) and the
lowest yield treatment
(N nil and P nil).
Left Vetiver growing
vigorously, with no toxic
effect at 10 000kgN/ha/year
and 1000kgP/ha/year, as
compared with the best
treatment, 6 000kgN/ha/year
and 250kgP/ha/year Right.
R & D ON BIOMASS PRODCTION AND
NUTRIENT UPTAKE
140 132.4
120 12 weeks
100 6 months
DM (t/ha/year)
88.3
13.3 15.2
20 6.1 7
0 2500
Vetiver Rhodes Kikuyu 1920
2000
Nutrient uptake (kg/ha) N uptake
P uptake
Potential DM yield 1500
0
Vetiver Rhodes Kikuyu
1600 1442
1400 12 weeks
1200
N uptake (kg/ha)
6 months
937
1000
800 9 months
642
600
400
443
373
428
Potential P uptake by
248
200 111
190 the 3 grasses
0
Vetiver Rhodes Kikuyu
160 149
100
97 6 months
80 9 months 72
60 45 48
40
24 21
16
20 7
0
Vetiver Rhodes Kikuyu
R & D ON BIOMASS PRODCTION
AND WATER USE
4500
4000
Relationship between
3500
Dry Matter (g/m2)
3000
2500
2000
water use and dry matter
1500
1000
(r = 0.7286)
500
0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Age in weeks
800
750
700
650
500
week period
y = 4.1798x + 278.7
450
400
350
40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110 120
We monitored weekly
Radiation Interception
Photographed the
sward weekly to
measure % Cover
Hand harvested 1 m2 quadrants
to measure weekly shoot yield,
nitrogen and phosphorus
contents.
Measured weekly
shoot heights
N and P interaction on biomass
135.6
0 P
250
Shoot Dry Weight (g/pot)
101.7 500
1000
67.8
33.9
0
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000
N Application (kg/ha/year)
Correlation between yield and shoot N and P concentrations
100
Dry Matter yield (g/pot)
80
60
40
20
0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
100
60
40
20
0
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2
Shoot P Concentration (%)
Root growth response to N and P applications
100
80
Root Dry Weight (g/pot)
60
40
20
0
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000
N Application (kg/ha/year)
100
60
40
20
0
0 200 400 600 800 1000
P Application (kg/ha/year)
R & D ON HYDRAULIC CHARACTERISTICS
Hydraulic Flume: The flume consists of two concrete testing
channels, 2m wide and 20m long
Side view of row planting, at 2m spacing
At 60cm depth the first row vetiver was bent over but not the
second row
Over the distance of less than 20m, the water level in the flume was
dropped by 50cm
50cm drop
Note relatively uniform flow through hedge and strong turbulence
after the hard structure (drop board)
R & D ON HYDROPONICS
• 6 weeks • 14 weeks
• 22 weeks • 35 weeks
R & D ON WATER QUALITY
Vetiver Hedges
Trapping pesticides on cotton farms in central Queensland
Vetiver Hedges
Comparison of whole plant dry weights of vetiver and
Phragmites at the high rates of herbicide application,
140
120
100
Percentage (%)
80
60
Diuron
Atrazine
40
20
0
Vetiver Phragmites
Plant Species
Industrial Effluent from an abattoir in Australia
R & D ON HEAVY METAL TOLERANCE
Threshold levels of heavy metals to vetiver growth
as compared with other species
pH 5.4 5.4
EC (mS/cm) 0.18 0.14
Cl (mg/kg) 135.0 47.4
NO3-N (mg/kg) 1.9 0.7
P (mg/kg) 2.0 5.0
SO4-S (mg/kg) 66.0 101.0
Ca (meq/100g) 0.19 0.93
Mg (meq/100g) 4.75 6.44
Na (meq/100g) 2.7 7.19
K (meq/100g) 0.16 0.43
Organic Matter (%) 0.45 0.35
ECEC (meq/100g) 8 15
ESP (%) 35 48
China : Pb – Zn tailings rehabilitation with vetiver grass
PC: Shu S F
Vetiver
Other grasses
Vetiver
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