Copper Uptake Efficiency and Its Distribution Within Bioenergy Grass Giant Reed N. Elhawat 1,5 • T. Alshaal 1,4 • E ´ . Domokos-Szabolcsy 1 • H. El-Ramady 1,4 • G. Antal 1 • L. Ma ´rton 2 • M. Czako ´ 2 • P. Balogh 3 • M. Fa ´ri 1 Received: 10 March 2015 / Accepted: 23 July 2015 / Published online: 29 July 2015 Ó Springer Science+Business Media New York 2015 Abstract To evaluate copper uptake and its toxicity on bioenergy grass giant reed (Arundo donax L.), experiments were carried out using two epigenetic clonal lines – American (BL) and Hungarian (20SZ) ecotypes – grown on elevated Cu concentrations up to 26.8 mg L -1 . Neither ecotype showed any noticeable foliar symptoms of Cu toxicity at concentrations tested up to 10 mg L -1 . Dry mass of plants of both ecotypes significantly increased at the highest Cu treatment compared to control. Although the BL ecotype had greater capacity to uptake Cu than 20SZ, the dry mass and shoot length of BL was higher than that of 20SZ. Values of bioconcentration and transportation factors were higher in the BL than in the 20SZ ecotype. Almost 45 % of total Cu content within the whole plant was found in the plant root of both ecotypes. This demonstrated both ecotypes can be utilized for Cu phytoremediation alongside with significant biomass production. Keywords Biomass production  Phytoremediation  Toxicity symptoms Recently, biomass crops such as giant reed (Arundo donax L.) were proposed as phytoremediation candidates due to their immense biomass production, fast growing rates and vigorous root systems (Alshaal et al. 2014; Bonanno 2012; Mirza et al. 2010a, b, 2011). Furthermore, these plants are not edible crops and able to grow in a wide range of low nutrient, erodible or metal contaminated soils. In addition, giant reed is a multipurpose plant of promising potential for several non-food uses, especially as an energy crop for the production of bioethanol and energy (Nassi et al. 2010). Obtaining products with economic value such as biomass from plants used in removal of pollutants from contami- nated soils would be an additional benefit to phytoreme- diation, which could indeed help sustain its long-term use (Ban ˜uelos 2006). Copper (Cu) is an essential micronutrient found in the upper layer of soils. Naturally, the total Cu content in soils ranges between 14 and 109 mg kg -1 , and the world-soil average is 38.9 mg kg -1 (Kabata-Pendias 2011). Cu is a rather immobile element in soils and shows relatively little variation in total contents of soil profiles (Kabata-Pendias 2011). In plants, Cu functions as a catalyst in photosyn- thesis and respiration. It is a constituent of several vital enzymes involved in building and converting amino acids to proteins. It is essential to the formation of lignin in plant cell walls that support structural strength of the cells and plant. It also affects water permeability, reproduction, and disease resistance (Kabata-Pendias 2011). In soil, Cu is the most immobile micronutrient. Therefore, Cu uptake is strongly correlated with root systems, where vigorous root systems take up more Cu. Initially, Cu is equally & T. Alshaal alshaaltarek@gmail.com 1 Department of Agricultural Botany, Plant Physiology and Biotechnology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, P.O. Box 36, 4032, Hungary 2 Department of Biological Sciences, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, USA 3 Department of Economic Analysis and Statistics, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary 4 Department of Soil and Water Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Kafrelsheikh, Kafr Elsheikh, Egypt 5 Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Home Economics, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt 123 Bull Environ Contam Toxicol (2015) 95:452–458 DOI 10.1007/s00128-015-1622-5