Heavy-Metal Uptake and Growth ofBoutelouaSpecies in Semi-arid Soils Amended with Biosolids

An experiment was conducted in three wild grass species of Bouteloua genus to compare the effect of application of biosolids on the accumulation of heavy metals, biomass production, and nutrient uptake. Biosolids were applied at rates of 0, 3.5, 7, and 10.5 Mg ha−1 to two different soil types collected from the southern Chihuahuan Desert. The shoot biomass of B. gracilis (BOGR) and B. scorpioides (BOSC) was two to three times greater than the control while in B. curtipendula (BOCU) in was 75% in both soils. In BOGR, nitrogen and phosphorus uptake were 4–4.5 times greater than the control in calcareous soil. With few exceptions, there was no significant difference of heavy-metal concentrations (copper, chromium, arsenic, nickel, and zinc) in the plant tissues compared to the control. The application of biosolids showed interspecies variability in growth response and nutrient uptake with a minimal risk of heavy-metal uptake for Bouteloua wild species.