Nowadays study on the different media for production of ornamental plants is necessary and materials such as

organic wastes can be used instead of peat moss because of cheaper, more available and higher quality. In this
research different rates of peat moss, vermicompost, municipal wastes compost and palm waste compost in
combination with perlite and zeolite on the growth of Codiaeum variegatum cv. Norma were used. Physical and
chemical characteristics of media, growth indexes of plant and the amount of nutritional compounds in plant were
evaluated. Results showed that highest rate of nitrogen absorption observed in treatment containing peat moss and
perlite and combination of peat moss and zeolite show better results in absorption of phosphorus, potassium, iron
and zinc and also have better results in number of leaves and dry weight than previous treatments that mentioned.
Combined treatments vermicompost with perlite and zeolite; peat moss with perlite and zeolite and also municipal
waste compost and perlite showed the best results in different growth indexes of plant. Results showed that the
zeolite could be substitute to perlite in combination with organic materials. Also because of its availability,
desirable characteristics, high nutrient and lower cost of vermicompost and municipal waste compost than peat
moss could be substitute of peat moss for production of Croton and other foliage potted plant.
Keywords: Croton, Palm waste compost, Vermicompost, Municipal waste compost, Zeolite
Introduction
Codiaeum variegatum is one of the most popular grown indoor plants which belongs to family Euphorbiaceae and
comprised of around 1300 species which are widespread in tropical regions of the world (Robert and Osborne
2009) and foliage beauty of croton is fully depends upon potting media, because media plays a vital role in growth
and production of plants (Bugbee 2013). Growth and marketability of this beautiful plant is directly related to the
it's medium.
For the production of high quality and marketable plants, we need to use suitable substrates for ornamental plants,
which in addition to supplying the nutrients required for plants, have their own physical, chemical and biological
properties and they also provide better growth for the plants. Nowadays, in most greenhouse cultivations, plants
bed contains at least two organic and inorganic components (Domingues Salvador and Minami 2004). Peat
sphagnum is a main component of soil less substrates in greenhouse cultivation and potted plants but harvesting it
from ecosystems at risk has become a global problem (Vaughn et al. 2011). So a comprehensive study has been
started for peat’s alternative substrates during past few decades (Benito et al. 2005). Based on this, researchers
have been looking for natural, inexpensive and affordable alternatives for peat moss for many years and there has
been a lot of research on various materials in this regard. For example, Grigatti et al. (2007) reported that compost
of palm plants and sewage sludge in 25% and 50% can be used as a substitute for the peat moss in the development
of parsley, sage and begonia and also provide good results. In another study, Papafotiou et al. (2007) investigated
the effect of compost from cotton waste on Croton ornamental plant and stated that in addition to being able to
produce a better vegetation, such as peat moss. It also improves its coloration of plant. Palm waste compost,
municipal waste compost and vermicompost are composts that has been used extensively in recent years as a
substrates in ornamental plants.

1
The palm waste compost including substances that are very similar with cocopeat and fiberpalm tree is obtained. In
Iran there are more than 30 million palm trees that every year large amounts of waste produces and it is incinerated
or low level are used in the paper industry (Rahbarian and Salehi Sardoei 2014). So, given the high volume of
these materials, it can be used in many ways. One of the uses of this material is the usage as an organic component
of substrates that can be considered as one of the peat moss substitutes with proper properties. Investigation Ali
(2008) in studying and comparing palm waste compost with peat moss as a medium showed that the number of
germinated seeds and growth indices of plants in summer leaves compost were equal to or greater than peat moss.
Today municipal waste compost is used increasingly in agriculture as soil corrector and organic fertilizer. The first
advantage of this material is having high levels of organic matter and its low mass (Soumare et al. 2003). This
advantage of using municipal solid waste compost has been reported from many Crops, orchards and pasture
products (Ostos et al. 2008). In recent years, the production and use of municipal waste compost in the agricultural
sector has been increasing due to the positive effects on the physical, chemical and biological properties of the soil,
as well as the high levels of nutrients (especially micronutrients).
Vermicompost is a kind of fertilizer which is obtained from a special type of earthworm excrement which is called
Eisenia foertida. Vermicompost contains nutrient ingredients like phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium
in a way that it s easy for plant to absorb them (Atiyeh et al. 2001). The results of study on Pennisetum glaucum
showed that using vermicompost increases biological yield compared to control (Hameeda et al. 2006).
Vermicompost is a substance with a high water content that contains the food available to the plant. Also, the
microbial metabolites present in this material can act as plant growth regulators (Paul and Metzger 2005). Zeolites
with crystal structure are porous matters which in addition to the role of soil corrector can have nutrient effect and
improve plant growth especially in low cation lands which are sandy lands (Polat et al. 2004). Zeolite is one of the
natural minerals in Iran and many mines in Iran are dedicated to these minerals. Zeolites, as a completely natural
material due to their unique properties, such as selective absorption and controlled release of food, can increase the
effect of chemical fertilizers and make optimal use of chemical fertilizers. Due to its natural abundance, easy
extraction, reasonable prices, as well as desirable properties, this mineral element can be used at various
agricultural levels. In a study, Dobrowolska and Żurawik (2016) investigated zeolite as a part of medium and in
combination with other materials and reported that the application of this material would have beneficial effects on
the growth of Catharanthus roseus and Gazania rigens. Because of the need to provide the highest quality medium
plants in every possible way, as well as on the basis of the above, this research aims to examine the possibility of
replacement palm waste compost, municipal waste compost and vermicompost combination with mineral
components of zeolite and perlite as a substitute for imported peat moss was carried out on an ornamental and
beautiful leaf plant, Codiaeum variegatum cv. Norma.
Materials and Methods
This study was conducted based on random plan with 13 treatments and 3 replications (two pots in each
replication) and a total of 78 pots in September 2017 to July 2018. Day and night temperature in a heated
glasshouse under natural photoperiod (about 7000 lx) was respectively 24±1°C and 18±1°C and the humidity was

2
set among 60 to 70 percent. For this study 4-litere pots disinfected by 2% sodium hypochlorite were used and in
each pot was placed a rooted cuttings of Codiaeum variegatum cv. Norma with the 6 cm height. The plants were
irrigated to ensure leaching from the pot, with frequency depending on greenhouse temperature and solar radiation.
The plants were fertilized monthly until the end of the experiment with a complete water-soluble fertilizer
(Nutrileaf 60, 20–20–20, Miller Chemical and Fertilizer Corp., Hanover, Penn.) to 100 mL of solution per pot
(Papafotiou et al. 2007). In this experiment, organic substrates of vermicompost, municipal waste compost, palm
waste compost and peat moss were combined with inorganic components, perlite and zeolite (from clinoptilolite
type), according to the following ratios:
1- 50% vermicompost+ 25% perlite + 25% zeolite
2- 50% municipal waste compost+ 25% perlite + 25% zeolite
3- 50% palm waste compost + 25% perlite + 25% zeolite
4- 50% peat moss+ 25% perlite + 25% zeolite
5- 50% vermicompost+ 50% perlite
6- 50% vermicompost+ 50% zeolite
7- 50% municipal waste compost+ 50% perlite
8- 50% municipal waste compost+ 50% zeolite
9- 50% palm waste compost + 50% perlite
10- 50% palm waste compost + 50% zeolite
11- 50% peat moss+ 50% perlite
12- 50% peat moss+ 50% zeolite
13- 100% zeolite
Chemical and physical features of substrates were measured at the beginning and the end of experiment. For
finding the amount of nutrients in substrate, nitrogen and phosphorus were determined by Kjeldahl and Olsen
method and potassium was determined by Flame photometer method (Page et al. 1982). Organic carbon by use of
Walkly and Black (1934) method and CEC by use of Harada and Inoko (1980) method were analyzed. Physical
features of substrates were determined by Spomer (1990) and Webber (1999) method and the amount of EC and
pH were calculated by Milford (1976) method. Also nutrient elements, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, iron and
zinc were determined at the end of experiment; plant growth features, height and number of leaves were found
monthly and leaf and root dry weight were calculated at the end of experiment. Data analysis was done by SPSS
and the comparison of averages was done by Duncan’s multiple range test (DMRT) at 1 or 5 percent possibility

level.
Results and Discussion
Plant nutrient concentration
Table 1 indicated that the highest concentration of nitrogen was in treatment 50% peat moss + 50% perlite and the
highest concentrations of phosphorus and potassium was in substrate 50% peat moss + 50% zeolite. According to

3
this table, the highest concentration of zinc and iron in plant was respectively in treatments 3 and 8. Table 1
showed that substrate containing peat moss (treatments 11 and 4) had low concentration of iron and zinc. Since
these elements have good absorption in 6.5 to 7 pH, the reason of this bad result can be attributed to low pH of
peat moss which makes problem in absorbing of these metallic elements (Mengle and Kirkby 1995) and in other
hand complementary fertilization can solve this problem.
Plant growth index
According to table 2, treatments 11, 12, 1 and 4 had the best results in growth index and according to table 1 all
these treatments indicated higher absorption of nitrogen compared to other treatments. Since the highest absorption
of nitrogen was in substrates containing peat moss, and because of the role of nitrogen in plant’s shoots growth and
also appropriate chemical and physical features of peat moss, high growth index in plants of these substrates is not
unexpected. Chen et al. (1988) have stated that composts have high amount of humic matters and these matters can
act like growth stimulus which have high nutrients at first, and high activity of the microbial population in
rhizosphere part of stem helps to plant growth.
Nitrogen has an important role in development of plant’s shoots and table 1 shows the most nitrogen absorption in
top treatments of these features. Accordingly, Fitzpatrick and Verkade (1999) stated that compost produced from
sewage sludge provide faster growth in Viburnum suspensum compared to the compost produced from low
nitrogen matters. In other hands, since adequate intake of potassium can decrease water consumption for
production of every single dry matter the dry weight leaf can be attributed to absorbed potassium by plant.
The highest dry weight of stem was observed in treatment number 11 and after that treatments number 4 and 12.
During a Shamshuddin et al. (2003) stated that, the best substrate for growth of coconut root is peat moss substrate.
Since phosphorous has a great role in growth of plants’ root (Mengle and Kirkby 1995), we can attribute the high
dry weight of roots in top treatments to the high concentration of phosphorous in these plants. As the results show,
the addition of zeolite to vermicompost and perlite had better results in plant growth and development traits
compared to the waste municipal compost and perlite. Zeolite is used in agriculture as a fertilizer and soil quality
enhancer, so that they are also called smart fertilizer because they can provide phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium
to the plant and eliminates heavy elements such as lead and cadmium (Lefcourt and Meisinger 2001). It also can
reduce the fungal complications of soil, plant and production and help maintain healthy root and stem health.
Research by Munir et al. (2004) showed that zeolites, as fertilizers that slowly feed the plant, by absorbing and
trapping nutrients, causing leaching problems and consequently contaminating groundwater. On the other hand,
due to this property, they may have a negative effect on plant growth; so that if they release high levels of sodium
into the culture medium or by absorbing the nutrients in their channels, they can compete with the roots and can
have a reversible effect on plant growth. So in choosing their amounts to be added to the medium, care should be
taken.
Chemical properties of substrates

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Table 3 shows the amount of nutritious elements in substrates and its results has been reported. The
most amount of nitrogen before cultivation was observed in treatment 9 and after that treatment 11 had
the most amount of nitrogen. According to table 1, the most amount of nitrogen absorption in cultivated
plants was also seen in this substrate. The most amount of phosphorous before and after cultivation, was
seen in the substrates containing vermicompost (treatments 1, 5 and 6). Many researchers such as
Arancon et al. (2004) state that vermicmpost can provide nutritious elements like nitrogen, phosphorous
and potassium for plants. However, these treatments couldn’t have high absorption of phosphorous.
The most amount of potassium before cultivation was observed in treatment number 3 and treatments which
contain municipal waste compost (substrates 2, 7 and 8) and this nutrient production by municipal waste compost
has been reported by researchers like Levy and Tylor (2003). On the other hands, potassium absorption in all
treatments with zeolite has been high and low potassium absorption was seen in substrates which contain only
perlite in their inorganic component (except for substrate number 7). So, zeolite has had positive effect in
providing and absorption of potassium. Treatment with 50% peat moss + 50% perlite, showed low potassium
absorption at the beginning and at the end of trial, but high potassium absorption was seen in plants cultivated in
this treatment; this can be attributed to fertilization with complete fertilizer which has removed this shortcoming.
Treatments 3 and 10 showed high amount of potassium at the end of trial, but they didn’t have enough absorption.
It should be noted that the amount of nutrient in treatments which contain palm waste compost didn’t differ
significantly with substrates with peat moss at the beginning of the trial, they even were slightly higher than these
substrates, and this matter shows that this substrate can replace peat moss. Rahbarian and Salehi Sardoei (2014)
got the same result in their research on replacing palm waste compost with peat moss. According to Table 3, the
addition of zeolite to vermicompost and peat moss has been shown a higher potassium values in treatments 1 and 3
compared to treatments 7 and 9, which indicates the zeolite used has high levels of potassium. Since perlite
contains no food, the addition of zeolite to the medium can partially offset this perlite defect, because zeolites with
significant amounts of potassium in their structures are known as potassium sources available to the plant
(Williams and Nelson 1997). Crystal zelite has cavities with molecular dimensions that elements such as sodium,
calcium and potassium and other exchange cations can penetrate and absorb in the cavities of the zeolite building
(Bailey et al. 1999). Also shows a slightly alkaline reaction that can be combined with mineral fertilizers to
preserve the soil's buffering properties and indirectly regulate soil pH (Milosevic and Milosevic 2009). The results
of Challinor et al. (1995) showed that zeolite has a high absorption capacity for potassium and ammonium nitrogen
and has a cation exchange capability without any significant change in the structure. They reported that it was
selective in absorbing potassium and ammonium nitrogen and could reduce potassium leaching.
According to table 4, substrates number 11, 4, 12 (treatments which have peat moss) showed the least amount of
pH because of acidic nature of peat as might be expected, and the most amount pH was seen in 50% palm waste
compost + 50% zeolite and 50% vermicompost + 50% zeolite. Navas et al. (1998) stated that the effect of compost
on soil pH is related to its origin and since these matters mostly have acidic pH, long term use of them, makes soil

5
pH acidic. As it was stated before, the least amount of iron and zinc concentration was seen in treatments which
have peat as a central component (because of low pH of this matter). Increasing zeolite usually increases the pH of
the medium (Perez- Caballero et al. 2008). This argument is consistent with the results of Mahboub Khomami
(2011) in replacing zeolite instead of perlite in the Ficus benjamina medium and increasing the pH of the
compounds of the culture medium.
The highest levels of cation exchange capacity was observed in treatments number 1, 11 and 2, and better growth
of cultivated plants in 1, 4, 11 and 12 treatments can be attributed to higher amount of nutrient in these treatments.
Mamo et al. (1998) believes that the advantage of using vermicompost compared to other organic fertilizers is that
this organic matter has higher amount of nutrients and on other hands, adding organic fertilizers to soil increases
organic carbon and organic matter of soil (Nyamangara and Mzezewa 2001) . The least amount of organic carbon
was seen in treatment 13 and because of its low amount of organic carbon and nitrogen, the highest ratio of C/N
was seen in this substrate. This treatment also showed high cation exchange ratio which this CEC in natural zeolite
was reported by many researchers such as Polat et al. (2004). The highest amount of EC was observed in treatment
50% municipal waste compost + 25% perlite + 25% zeolite and this high level of EC can be one of the reasons that
caused the cultivated plants in this substrate couldn’t grow appropriately; in terms of plant height, treatment
number 12 statistically followed treatment with 50% peat moss + 50% perlite, but with a lower height could
produce more leaves and plants cultivated in this substrate had more beautiful and denser appearance compared to
treatment 11. The reason of this matter maybe higher level of EC in this treatment compared to treatment 11,
because Fitzpatrik (1986) reported that when potted plants, Spathiphyllum and Schefflera, which are salt-sensitive
were cultured by more soluble salt, the result was significantly smaller plants which were significantly bigger than
control plants.
Physical properties of substrates
According to table 5, substrate 1 had the highest pores. The high amount of pores in this treatment can be
attributed to its high amount of organic matters, because by increasing organic matters in a substrate, pores will be
increased too. Treatments 9 and 11 showed the maximum amount of water holding capacity and both were placed
in the same statistic group.
It should be noted that these two treatments had much higher volume compared to other treatments (because of
high volume of peat moss and palm waste compost); but treatment 9 having more humidity, couldn’t be a good
substrate for plants, since porosity lead to moisture loss. This sharp reduction of humidity was also seen in other
treatments which had palm waste compost. This problem affected growth indexes of plant and caused poor results
in these substrates. It seems that substrates with more capacity for keeping water every irrigations, makes better
growth conditions for plant by providing enough water and nutrients. These conditions were seen in treatments
number 11, 12, 8, 4, 1 and 13. The highest “true specific weight” was seen in treatment 6 and the lowest true
specific weight was seen in treatment 11. Treatments 13 and 9 were substrates which had respectively the highest
and the lowest bulk density. According to results, treatments 50% municipal solid waste + 25% perlite + 25%
zeolite, 50% vermicompost + 50% zeolite and 50% palm peat + 50% zeolite couldn’t show acceptable growth. The

6
reason of these poor results can be: low capacity for keeping humidity, high C/N and low CEC ratio in treatments
number 6 and 10, high EC of treatment number 2, and low absorption of macro nutrient, especially nitrogen.
Treatment 100% zeolite having little amounts of nitrogen and phosphorous and high amount of potassium for
plant, couldn’t have high absorption of elements and obtained no impressive result chemically and physically; but
it was not among poor result treatments because of high CEC and good humidity holding capacity. It also showed
good results in most of growth indexes. The reason can be using of complementary fertilizers which could make
up deficiencies. Actually treatments containing zeolite showed more humidity compared to perlite. This indicates
that zeolite can keep humidity. In this study, the addition of zeolite to combination of vermicompost, municipal
waste compost and peat moss with perlite increased bulk density and particle density compared to treatments 5, 7
and 9. This increase can be due to the presence of minerals zeolite with a weight gain in comparison with perlite.
The results of Kolar et al. (2010) showed that with increasing granulation of zeolite in the peat moss substrate in a
Geranium plant, Bulk density also increases. Zeolites can ameliorate the adverse effects of drought in plants.
Similar results about the effect of zeolite on soil moisture has been reported by other researchers ( Dhanda et al.
2004).
As it was expected common substrate for keeping house plants (50% peat moss + 50% perlite) showed good
results and plants cultivated in this substrate grew pretty well. Treatment containing 50% peat + 50% perlite was
better that treatment 11 in properties such as absorption of phosphorous, potassium, iron and zinc and also leaf dry
weight, and this shows that zeolite has natural mineral ability to replace perlite. Treatments 50% vermicompost +
25% perlite + 25% zeolite, 50% peat moss + 25% perlite + 25% zeolite, 50% municipal waste compost + 50%
perlite and 50% peat moss + 50% perlite were the best substrates in this trial. Treatments 50% vermicompost +
50% perlite and 50% municipal waste compost + 50% zeolite were ranked after aforementioned treatments.
Concerning chemical and physical properties of used substrates, common element in these treatments was
nitrogen. However top treatments in this study were not the best treatments in some chemical and physical
properties, all (top treatments) showed high percent of nitrogen absorption and this influenced plant growth and
brought the best result for these treatments. Treatments with poor function showed low absorption of this
important element by plants so that growth indexes didn’t have a satisfactory result. Such a result has brought up
the matter of complementary fertilization along with complete fertilizers and demonstrates its effective role on
plant yield. This way, low absorption of elements will be compensated. Also some chemical and physical problems
of substrates which prevent absorption and better growth of plant will be removed.
Conclusion
Nowadays, research on finding new, inexpensive, environmentally friendly substrates with the physically and
chemically important is necessary in the agricultural sector. Composted from palm waste, vermicompost and
municipal waste can, if properly processed, be suitable alternatives for imported peat moss and are subject to
extinction. At the end it can be mentioned that zeolite as an inorganic component in combination with other
organic matters can be used instead of perlite. Combination of peat and zeolite is better that combination of peat
and perlite in some features. If we use complete fertilizers, pure zeolite, also, can be used as plant substrate. Since

7
treatments which contain 50% vermicompost + 25% perlite + 25% zeolite and 50 % municipal waste compost +
50% perlite showed satisfactory results; by studying this treatments (and after them treatments which contain 50%
vermicompost + 50% perlite and 50% municipal waste compost + 50% zeolite) and with due attention to low cost
of vermicompost and municipal waste compost compared to peat moss, they can be used as cheap, high quality and
available superseded of imported peat moss in cultivating Codiaeum variegatum cv. Norma which is a potted plant
and other ornamental house plants.
****************************
One of the problems in today's world is the pollution of the environment with heavy metals, which extraction of
metals from mines, industrial and agricultural activities has caused significant pollution of soils and waters to
heavy metals. In this study, the effects of fulvic acid and zeolite application on the absorption of cadmium by
Spinacia oleracea var. inermis were investigated. Fulvic acid at 15, 30 and 60 l/hec and zeolites in 1000, 2000 and
4000 kg/hec were formed the treatments and the cadmium content of 4 mg/kg from the source of cadmium nitrate
was added to the region. At the end of experiment, the absorbance of cadmium, zinc and nitrogen elements as well
as dry weight of aerial organs and root of Spinach were investigated. The results showed that the application of
fulvic acid and zeolite resulted in higher absorption of the elements and higher biomass weight compared to the
control. In this case, fulvic acid at 30 l/hec and zeolite at 4000 kg/hec had the best results own and the accumulated
amounts of cadmium and zinc in the root of the Spinach were higher than that of the aerial organs. Based on the
results of this study, it can be argued that the use of fulvic acid and zeolite can significantly increase the absorption
of cadmium toxic metal from the aerial organs and root of the Spinach plant and help the further release of this
element from the soil.
Keywords: Cadmium, Fulvic acid, Spinach, Zeolite
INTRODUCTION
Today, environmental pollution to heavy metals is one of the major environmental hazards that is increasing due to
uncontrolled entry of various types of waste and industrial wastes. Because of its high survival properties in living
tissue, these heavy metals can contaminate the food chain in plants, animals and humans, and subsequently leave
many harmful effects on human health (Wang and Chen, 2009). The existence of rich heavy metals resources and
deposits in the nature does not only increase their concentration in the environment of those areas, but during the
extraction, transportation and processing of metal resources, some of these elements are dispersed and
environmental pollution with them. Of the heavy metals found in nature, heavy elements such as cadmium, lead,
and mercury are unnecessary for human life and plant growth and are therefore known as very toxic elements
(Merian et al., 2004) and the toxicity of plants with cadmium is up to 20 times higher than other metals
(Jafarnejadi et al., 2011), because cadmium can enter the air through various industrial activities such as mining,
fossil fuels and industrial waste, and then Immediately into the soil and water over long distances. Also, excessive
use of fertilizers containing phosphorus also leads to high accumulation of cadmium and soil toxicity with this
substance (Lefèvre et al., 2009). For example, in China, the most important part of the heavy metal pollution is
reported by the cadmium element, which has been fed into agricultural lands through phosphate fertilizers and

8
lead-zinc sources (Youn-Joo, 2004). Cadmium metal is of particular importance due to the numerous
environmental impacts on the one hand and high relative mobility in the soil and plant system on the other hand
and has received considerable attention in numerous studies. The accumulation of this element in the soil, in
addition to the harmful effects on plants and soil, can enter the human body through plant products and foodstuffs
and with a semicircular osteogenesis of 20 years and accumulation in the liver and kidneys, causes insufficiency in
this sections, cardiovascular diseases, elevated blood pressure, bone diseases, swollen lice and so on (Mauskar,
2007). Cadmium, which is obtained as a byproduct of zinc purification, is one of the most toxic metals found in
nature and hence most of its properties are similar to zinc metal (Correia et al., 2000). The maximum amount of
this metal in soils is 1.5 to 2 mg/kg (Sauerbeck and Hein, 1991). The cadmium toxicity of the plant for humans is
more than 0.1 mg/kg and the amount of this element in infected plants is 5-30 mg/kg (Alloway, 1990).
In this research, we tried to use the phytoremediation method and materials that are present in nature to extract and
purify the soil from toxic metal cadmium and to this end, they were selected for this purpose by using fulvic acid
and zeolite. Phytoremediation is one of the ways purification of soil contamination that has been widely considered
in recent decades and is a sustainable, cheap, simple and eco-friendly way compared to other refining methods. In
this method, plants with high storage capability are used for purification of contaminated soils and without
degradation of soil texture of the region. This plants are species with high growth rate, high biomass and tolerance
of high concentrations of metals in plants that can be harvested and able to transfer and accumulate in storage
tissues of more than 1000 ppm. In this method, the use of plants with potential for overgrowing and high storage
capability is limited for reasons such as slow growth, shallow root system and low biomass production (Brooks,
1994). Many researchers have investigated the role of heavy metals in generating various contaminations related to
the toxicity of these elements and the application of phytoremediation methods to counteract the adverse effects of
these metals and different views have been proposed (Jafarnejadi et al., 2011). The plants grown in these
conditions should not be used by humans and livestock because of the high levels of these metals in their bodies
and roots (Asadi Kapourchal et al., 2009).
Fulvic acid is a derivative of humic material that can be used as a natural absorbent with large amounts of
carbonaceous functional groups. Humic materials, such as humic acid and fulvic acid, are complex compounds of
humus which in addition to high molecular weight, also have a great deal of complexity. These natural materials
have the ability to form complexes with different types of cations in the soil and can be used as an important
source of storage for multi-capacity cations in the soil (Mikkelsen, 2005). The use of humic materials has positive
effects on the physical, chemical and biological properties of soil and has direct effects on the physiological and
biochemical stages of plants (Sangeetha et al., 2006). The results of Borhan Azad et al. (2014) showed that the use
of humic acid can reduce cadmium uptake in lettuce and increase plant growth.
On the other hand, one of the absorbents that has been studied in recent years are zeolites. The chemical formula of
these minerals is Ma/n (AlO2)x (SiO2)y w H2O and belongs to the family of hydromorphous aluminosilicates of
alkaline and alkaline earth metals with crystalline structure (Leung et al., 2007). Because of their excellent
absorption properties, zeolites are widely used in water and sewage purification, due to the high cation exchange

9
capacity, high specific surface area, low cost and high availability as efficient and high performance materials.
Reduction of heavy metal adsorption in contaminated soils with usage zeolites is identified and used (Garcia-
Sanchez et al., 1999). Zeolites have tiny pores that act like a strong molecular sieve and cause some cations such as
ammonium to be deposited on their network due to their high cation exchange capacity. Consequently, in addition
to the soil reformation role, they can also have a nutritional role for the plant and can result in better plant growth
and yield in areas with low cationic potential (Polat et al., 2004). In results of Querol et al (2006), the
consolidation of heavy metals and reduced pollution of contaminated soils by zeolite was reported. Also,
Mahabadi et al. (2007) reported a significant decrease in the concentration of absorbable cadmium in soil after
adding zeolite to soil.
Considering the dangers of heavy metals entering in the environment and the life cycle of living organisms, the
importance of using humic materials due to their desirable and unique properties and the beneficial effects of the
use of these organic materials on plants and soils on the one hand, and due to the existence of various minerals and
various types of natural zeolite minerals in Iran, its ease of use and its cheap price on the other hand, this study
aimed to use these organic materials on the absorption of cadmium by Spinacia oleracea var. Inermis, one of the
world's most consumed leafy vegetables. The sub-target of this study was to determine the growth and
development of this plant by application of experimental treatments.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This research was carried out in 2017 on a field farm located in Shahriar city (located in Tehran province) in a
factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design with 3 replications. Fulvic acid from resource Fulvimax
(SWISS GROW product) at three levels of 15, 30 and 60 l/hec was used. Zeolite from clinoptilolite type was
prepared from Semnan mine and used at three levels of 1000, 2000 and 4000 kg/hec and containrd the treatments
of this experiment. The non-application of these materials also formed part of the control field and the research
was done in two separate experiments. The characteristics of zeolite and fulvic acid used in Tables 1 and 2 are
summarized.
Seeds of Spinacia oleracea var. inermis was first washed well and disinfected and sterilized. Then washed again
with distilled water and soaked for 24 hours. In next stage, the experimental plots were planted with gradient
uniformity and soil texture. To create cadmium contamination in soil, 4 mg/kg of cadmium per kg of soil was
added from the source of cadmium nitrate to the soil containing test treatments alike. It should be noted that the
soil was sandy loamy and the amount of cadmium and zinc in the tested soil was 0.36 and 1.68 mg/kg,
respectively. In the following, fulvic acid and zeolite treatments were applied based on the values indicated in the
cultures and seed crops were planted at appropriate distances for culture in culture media and cultivated at 40 cubic
meters per square meter. Irrigation was carried out in such a way that no water stress was observed during the
experiment and the moisture content was maintained at the crop capacity level. Due to the fact that the growth
period of this plant is 40 days, no poison was used to deal with various diseases and pests.
After the growth period of spinach, the plant samples were taken and the aerial organs was removed from the root,
washed with distilled water and dried in an oven for 48 hours at 85 ° C (Khodaverdiloo and Homaee, 2008). The

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fresh weight and dry weight of the aerial organs and the roots were measured by digital scales. For digestion of the
plant sample, 2 gr of dried samples were placed in a round balloon and 4 ml of concentrated perchloric acid, 2 ml
of concentrated sulfuric acid and 20 ml of concentrated nitric acid were added. The above solution was boiled
under a hood and on a heater to reduce its volume. In the next step, add 20 ml of water to dissolve the sediment
and reheat to reduce the volume. Then, the solution was smooth and the volume was measured to 250 ml
(Radojevec and Baskin, 1999) and the amounts of Cd and Zn were measured by atomic absorption. Measurement
of total nitrogen in the aerial organs was done by Kjeldahl method. At the end, SPSS software was used for
statistical analysis of the data and the comparison of the meanings was done using the Duncan Multi Range Test at
the probability level of 1% or 5%.
RESULTS AND DISCUSION
Nitrogen Content in Aerial Organs of Spinach
Tables 3 and 4 show that the use of fulvic acid and zeolite increased the nitrogen absorption significantly in treated
plants compared with control and fulvic acid at 30 l/hec and zeolite with 4000 kg/hec showed that the maximum
values of this attribute are allocated
Humic materials such as humic acid and fulvic acid have a lot of beneficial effects on soil and plants and by
clamping the essential elements required for the plant, they increase their absorption and increase soil fertility and
plant yield. In fact, humic materials increase the absorption of nutrients, including nitrogen, and increase the
chlorophyll content and photosynthesis of the plant, thereby increasing growth (Khayyat et al., 2007). The results
of Ayas and Gulser's (2005) research have shown that humic acid improves the growth and yield of carrot plants
through an increase in the amount of nitrogen absorbed by the plant. Zeolites are crystalline and porous minerals.
In addition to modifying the soil structure, they can cause plant growth. This vegetative effect, especially on land
with lower cationicity and sandy areas can be observed (Polat et al., 2004). On the other hand, zeolite can trap
ammonium ions in its cavities due to the proper cation exchange capability and optimal absorption and because of
the size of these pores and channels that are designed to prevent the entry of nitrification bacteria. The zeolite can
be reduced to ammonium ion to nitrate inside the soil which reduces nitrogen washing in the soil and better
absorption by plant roots (Mumpton, 1999).
Zinc in Aerial Organs and Root of Spinach
Tables 3 and 4 show that treatments containing fulvic acid and zeolite can accumulate more amounts of zinc
element in the aerial organs and root of the plants compared to the control which is statistically significant.
Increasing the consumption of fulvic acid to a concentration of 30 l/hec increased the amount of this element in the
aerial organs and root of Spinach plant and the higher concentration reduced the amount of this element compared
to the two previous concentrations. The results of Asik et al. (2009) indicate that humic materials can increase the
absorption of elements such as copper and zinc in the soil which according to the ideal properties of these
materials for soil improvement and plant growth result not expecting anymore. However, in zeolite-containing
treatments with increasing the amount of this substance, the amount of accumulated element in the tissues
investigated increased compared to the control plants, which in 2000 and 4000 kg/hec were not statistically

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significant. The reason for this may be attributed to the presence of this metal in the soil. According to the above
table, the amount of accumulated zinc in Spinach plant aerial organs is less than that accumulated in the roots
which is consistent with the results obtained from some studies such as Raphanus sativus L. for absorption and
purification of the element lead from soil (Asadi Kapourchal et al., 2009).
Cadmium Content in Aerial Organs and Root of Spinach
According to Tables 3 and 4, all treatments containing fulvic acid and zeolite exhibited higher levels of cadmium
uptake compared to control. Fulvic acid at 30 l/hec had the highest cadmium uptake. Fulvic acid is a derivative of
humic material that can be used as a natural absorbent of heavy metals with large amounts of carbonaceous
functional groups. Studies by Mikkelsen (2005) show that humic materials have the ability to absorb heavy metals
due to their high complexing ability and in this study the use of different concentrations of fulvic acid has a high
uptake of cadmium in comparison with control treatment has shown.
Treatment of 4000 kg/hec of zeolite although not significantly different with other values of this mineral, showed a
higher uptake of cadmium compared with the control. As previously mentioned, zeolites have 10 to 20 percent
water due to their quadrilateral structure. The cation exchange power above this material makes zeolite as a
desirable, powerful and efficient absorber for the removal of various types of heavy metals in the soil (Kocaoba et
al., 2007). The research results of Panuccio et al. (2009) which used vermicompost, zeolite, and pumice for the
removal of cadmium, emphasized the effectiveness of zeolite to achieve this goal.
In addition to the material mentioned above, mention of an important point can also affect the absorption of heavy
metals in this experiment and it is the soil texture of the loamy sandy region of the area. Sandy loamy and sandy
loamy clay soils compared with silt clay loamy soils has a higher leakage of metals due to the physical and
chemical properties of these soils. This soils have a low cation exchange, less food, less clay and more sand than
silt clay loamy silt. As the amount of organic matter in a soil is higher, heavy metal fixation in the soil also
increases as organic metal complexes which can lead to a decrease in the mobility of heavy metals in the soil
(Foley et al., 2002) and this mobility of metals further affects the absorption of cadmium and zinc by fulvic acid
and zeolite. On the other hand, as the percentage of sand in a soil is higher there are more gaps in the soil which
can also contribute to the mobility of metals. Also, the presence of high levels of organic matter in the soil can
reduce the absorption of metals (Ahlberg et al., 2006). Accordingly, Kaschl et al. (2002) reported that leakage of
metals is different from the application of compost on soils with sandy and loamy soils; so that in loamy soils
containing high clay content and higher organic matter content compared with sandy soils, decrease leakage of
metals due to the fact that they are reported to be more absorbent in loamy soils. Wong et al. (2007) also showed
that loam clay and sandy loam with their pH being the same and have an alkaline state, but the amount of leakage
of metals in loamy sandy soils is higher than loamy clay. The researchers reported a low percentage of clay in non-
absorbent metals in loamy sandy soils. Therefore, it was concluded that the physical properties of the soil and
especially the percentage of silt and clay have a greater effect on chemical properties.
Dry Weight of Aerial Organs and Root of Spinach

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According to Tables 3 and 4, the application of all treatments in this experiment caused an increase in dry weight
of aerial parts and root of spinach plant compared to control plants. In the case of fulvic acid, the highest values of
these two traits were related to a concentration of 30 l/hec. Humic materials as an important and efficient pseudo-
hormone compound in soil and plant can play a significant role in increasing the absorption of nutrients through
the effect of peeling and regeneration, stimulating the absorption of nutrients, increasing the biomass of the root
and the shoot and thus improving plant growth. (Sebahattin and Necdet, 2005). The results of Vaughan and
Linehan (2004) suggest that the use of humic substances at low concentrations could have a positive effect on the
growth and yield of wheat. In this study, fulvic acid to the highest concentration of 30 l/hec had the highest yield
both in plant growth and in the absorption of the elements and showed a decreasing trend in higher concentrations.
Zeolite also had higher dry weight in both the aerial organs and root at 2000 kg/hec; although this was superior in
dry weight of aerial organs with 1000 and 4000 kg/hec treatments and in root dry weight with Treatment of 4000
kg/hec of this material was not meaningful. Clinoptilolite is the most abundant zeolite species in Iran. By
maintaining some cations in its structure and then releasing them in the medium, zeolite increase the growth and
production of plants and improve the soil moisture balance. In addition, control the growth environment more
easily and lowering the cost of needed nutrients. In a study by Gul et al. (2005) the effect of different ratios of
perlite and zeolite on lettuce hydroponic medium was investigated. The results showed that the yield of lettuce in
the bed of zeolite was higher than perlite and its weight was increased by increasing the zeolite level in the
medium, Increased. Therefore, the result of this experiment also implies the possibility of using zeolite as a part of
the culture media.
Considering the ability of Spinach plant to absorb cadmium, high plant yield and ability to transfer and accumulate
cadmium in removable organs, Spinach plant is a suitable plant for green refining of soils contaminated with
cadmium. Also, the Spinach plant can be harvested at least four times in a year, hence this plant is suitable for
purification of polluted soils and unlike most plants that have a small biomass, can save significant biomass in the
year. Earlier studies in this area also showed that the different species of Chenopodiaceae have a good ability to
absorb heavy metals in contaminated soils by producing high biomass (Bhargava et al., 2008). But the point is that
given the fact that Spinach plant is one of the most commonly used edible vegetables in the world, it should be
used immediately after harvest as if it were used for plant extraction purposes. Burning and burying it does not
threaten the environment or the food cycle of living creatures.
CONCLUSION
Soil contamination with heavy metal elements is one of the most important and most dangerous environmental
problems around the world. One of the techniques used to remove heavy metals in the soil is the phytoremediation
method. In this technique, the plant with the removal or degradation of contaminants in the soil gradually
decreases the concentration of these materials in the soil. Due to the fact that it is difficult to refine soils
contaminated with heavy metals, it is possible to use materials that increase the process and amount of adsorption
of these elements in plants and humic compounds such as fulvic acid and zeolite are from this category. The results
of this study indicate that the use of fulvic acid and zeolite results in the higher adsorption of heavy elements from

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the soil and can increase the absorption, increase in efficiency and time to clear soil from heavy metal cadmium
and zinc. The use of natural materials such as fulvic acid and zeolite, unlike composting, which generally contain a
percentage of a variety of metals in their compounds and their frequent use on soils causes contamination of
groundwater, surface water and soil, can in addition to soil refinement of heavy elements has a significant positive
effect on soil texture regeneration and improvement of its physical and chemical properties and provides better
growth and development of plants to accelerate the process of treatment plants.

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