Kumar Nikhil
Abstract
Vetiver Grass ( Vetiveria zizanioides) is planted for soil and water conservation.Vetiver grass with its unique morphology, physiology and ecological characteristics including its tolerance to high levels of heavy metals and adverse conditions, has a key role in the area of environmental protection and land rehabilitation. In this paper, it has been described in details about the growth and development in pot and field experiments along with major nutrients and heavy metals distribution in planted grass over coal overburden dumps. It has been found that this grass has a significant role in the binding capacity of the dump material and scavenger for the heavy metals present on the dump. Moreover, it adds nutrients by its biomass and improves the physico-chemical and biological properties of the dumps to support the other planted species.