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2025 Vol.30, Issue 5 Preview Page
Uptake, Degradation and Phytotoxicity of RDX by Indigenous Plant Aeschynomene indica (Indian jointvetch) Seedling

자생식물 자귀풀 유식물에 의한 RDX 흡수, 분해 및 식물독성

Younggi Lee1
,
Bumhan Bae2*
이 영기1
,
배 범한2*
1K-Water, Daejeon 34350, Korea
2Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Gachon University, Seongnam 13120, Korea
1K-water
2가천대학교 토목환경공학과
*Corresponding Author
31 October 2025. pp. 49-57
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Abstract

High explosive compounds such as RDX (hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine) from military shooting ranges may pose human health and ecological risks. In pot culture studies, Indian jointvetch (Aeschynomene indica) was evaluated as a candidate indigenous plant species for phytoremediation of RDX. The concentration of RDX ranged from blank to 10, 100, 150, 200, 300, and 400 mg/kg, and an Indian jointvetch seedling (approximately 5 cm) was transplanted into a pot containing shooting range soil. The pot culture lasted for 21 days in a controlled growth chamber. The toxic effects of RDX, such as necrosis on leaf edges, biomass reduction, and leaf/stem abscission, started with a 100 mg/kg to 400 mg/kg treatment. The effective concentration (EC50) based on dry weight (n=10 for each treatment) for above-ground, root, and whole plant was 222.5, 69.6, and 181.4 mg-RDX/kg-soil, respectively. The analysis of RDX in the plant (n = 3) indicated a log-linear relationship between plant and soil RDX concentrations, with 95% of RDX translocated to the above-ground part. The maximum concentration was 6,259.9 μg/g-DW in the 400 mg-RDX/kg treatment. Furthermore, the cultivation of Indian jointvetch enhanced RDX removal by over 10% compared to the control group that did not culture the plant. Therefore, Indian jointvetch is a prominent native plant species for the phytoremediation of RDX at a military shooting range.

Keywords
EC50
Explosives
Indian jointvetch
Phytoremediation
RDX
Shooting range
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Information
  • Publisher :The Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment
  • Publisher(Ko) :한국지하수토양환경학회
  • Journal Title :Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
  • Journal Title(Ko) :지하수토양환경
  • Volume : 30
  • No :5
  • Pages :49-57
  • Received Date : 2025-08-21
  • Revised Date : 2025-09-04
  • Accepted Date : 2025-10-02
  • DOI :https://doi.org/10.7857/JSGE.2025.30.5.049
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