Effect of plant species on the performance of vegetated buffer strips to treat agricultural runoffs

Vegetated buffer strips (VBS), have been recognized as the most common management practice for mitigating pollution caused by agricultural runoff. They serve a transitional zone between agricultural fields and receiving waters. In this study, two VBS planted with aromatic plants and one unvegetated BS, were examined for the treatment performance of simulated agricultural runoff, under real weather conditions. Specifically, Lavandula dentata and Myrtus communis were the plant species that were established in the two systems. The effluents of examined VBS were analyzed for COD, pH, turbidity, ammonium, nitrate and phosphate concentrations. The results show that VBS can reduce nutrient concentrations compared to the influent agricultural runoff, although not all parameters showed the same level of reduction compared to the unvegetated buffer strip. The L. dentata system showed higher nitrate concentrations than the unvegetated system. Finally, both of the plant systems effectively reduced phosphate concentrations with lower values than the unvegetated system.