Morphological behavior of Heliconia psittacorum and Piper aduncum in leachate concentrations of municipal solid waste in a tropical area from Peru

Abstract

The generation of leachate from solid waste affects vegetation in tropical areas, whose natural attenuation capacity is still unknown. Therefore, this study evaluates the morphological behavior of Heliconia psittacorum and Piper aduncum under four treatments with different concentrations of leachate (T1: 250 ml, T2: 500 ml, T3: 1 L, and T0: 0 ml), each with 3 replications over a duration of 21 days. Statistical tests were conducted to assess the impact of both plants at various leachate doses. The results indicated the plants' resistance to the different tested concentrations, with significant reductions in the stem thickness and leaf size of Heliconia psittacorum and Piper aduncum. This suggests their adaptation to leachate concentrations, making them potential phytoremediators of leachate in the central jungle of Peru