Arsenic accumulation in Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi and its effects on plant ...

Scutellaria baicalensis Georgi is a traditional Chinese medicinal plant. The effects of arsenic (As) on the growth and the formation of pharmaceutical components of S. baicalensis, and the uptake and accumulation of As by S. baicalensis were investigated using a field pot-culture experiment. The results show that spiking low concentrations of As (flavone components were not significantly affected by spiking low concentrations of As (baicalin and wogoninside, but facilitated the generation of baicalein, wogonin and oroxylin A in S. baicalensis Georgi. The concentration of As in each part of the plant was proportional to the concentration of As spiked into the soil. The application of phosphorus (P) to the soil promoted the uptake and accumulation of As in the roots of the plant, but this synergistic effect became weaker with the incremental addition of P. Dry biomass did not change in response to low levels of P addition (