[Objective] The aim was to study the phytoremediation of heavy metal pollution in river sediment by Medicago sativa L.,so as to provide reliable references for the phytoremediation of heavy metal pollution in river sediment.[Method] The air-dried,screened and mixed sediment was put in rectangular PVC box（0.6 m×0.5 m×0.4 m） with seepage vent at the bottom,and the water holding capacity（WHC） of sediment was kept at 30%-60% by deionized water.The seeds of Medicago sativa L.were sown in April 2010,and seedlings were thinned after 7 d.Samples were collected from rhizosphere soil every 30 d,and were used to determine the content of heavy metals,bacteria quantity and enzyme activity in sediment.In addition,the accumulation of heavy metals in the roots,stems and leaves of plant was measured after harvest in October.[Result] Different parts of Medicago sativa L.varied in accumulation capacity to different heavy metals.The accumulation amount of Zn in Medicago sativa L.was the highest,especially in roots.Meanwhile,the accumulation amount of heavy metals like Ni,Cr,Cu and Pb in roots was higher than that of stems and leaves.In contrast,Mn was mainly accumulated in leaves and its amount accounted for 42.47% of the total amount in plant.Besides,the accumulation amount of all heavy metals was the lowest in stems.Ni,Cr,Cu and Pb could be degraded more effectively than Mn,and increasing the planting time and sowing times of crop was beneficial to the degradation of heavy metals.After planted Medicago sativa L.,the quantity of microorganisms in sediment went up obviously,and dehydrogenase activity also showed an increaseing trend.[Conclusion] Medicago sativa L.has certain restoring effect on Zn,Ni,Cr,Cu and Pb,and could be used to restore heavy metal pollution in river sediment.
