The use of phytoremediation to sustainably recover areas contaminated by toxic heavy metals such as cadmium (Cd) has been made feasible since the discovery of hyperaccumulator plants. This study examines the potential of the invasive Impatiens glandulifera for phytoremediation propensity of Cd. In these experiments, the plants were exposed to and tested for Cd accumulation; the propensity to accumulate other heavy metals, such as Zinc, was not investigated. The efficacy of phytoaccumulation was assessed over two trials (Cd concentrations of 20 mg/kg to 150 mg/kg) via examination of bioconcentration factor (BCF), translocation factor (TF), and total removal (TR). Exposure to Cd levels of up to 150 mg/kg in the trials did not affect the biomass of the plants compared to the control. Impatiens glandulifera accumulated cadmium at a rate of 276 to 1562 mg/kgin stems, with BCFs, TFs, and TRs of 64.6 to 236.4, 0.2 to 1.2, and 3.6 to 29.2 mg Cd, respectively. In vitro germination revealed unprecedented germination ability, demonstrating the remarkable hypertolerance of I. glandulifera, with no significant difference in the germination of seedlings exposed to 1000 mg/kg Cd compared to the control. This study also examined the localization of Cd in plant tissues via a histochemical assay using dithizone. The results presented herein suggest that I. glandulifera can act as a hyperaccumulator of Cd for phytoremediation.

Biological invasions are renowned for their negative ecological and economic implications, however from studying invasions invaluable insights can be gained in the fields of ecology and evolution- potentially contributing towards conservation plans to deal, not only with biological invasion, but with other concerning issues, such as climate change. Impatiens glandulifera, or Himalayan balsam, is widely considered to be a highly problematic invasive, having spread across more than thirty countries during the past century. This paper will examine the findings which have arose from studying I. glandulifera and its impacts on the invaded ecosystem.

This paper aims to develop our understanding of the effect of cadmium (Cd) on Impatiens glandulifera, a recently identified potential Cd hyperaccumulator. Impatiens glandulifera plants were exposed to three concentrations of Cd (20, 60 and 90 mg/kg) and were sampled at two timepoints (one and seven days) to investigate the stress response of I. glandulifera to Cd. Cd can induce oxidative stress in plants, triggering overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The level of activity of catalase (CAT) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX), two crucial antioxidant enzymes responsible for detoxifying ROS, were found to increase in a concentration dependent manner. Though there was no change observed in the level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, the activity of glutathione S-transferase (GST), involved in detoxifying and sequestering Cd, increased after exposure to Cd. Cd did not appear to impact the levels of proline and photosynthetic pigments, indicating the plants weren't stressed by the presence of Cd. These results suggest that the rapid response observed in enzyme activity aid the efficacious mitigation of the toxic effects of Cd, preventing significant physiological stress in I. glandulifera.