Kentucky State University
Trace-Elements Concentrations in Edible Plants
Institution
Kentucky State University
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
George Antonious
Abstract
Plant uptake is one of the main pathways through which metals enter the food chain. Farmers, especially limited resource farmers, are continually searching for alternatives to synthetic fertilizers to alleviate the escalating production costs associated with the increasing costs of energy and fertilizers and the problems of soil deterioration and erosion associated with intensive farming systems. Municipal sewage sludge (MSS) used for land farming typically contains heavy metals that might impact crop quality and human health. The main objective of this investigation was to determine the concentrations of seven heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cu, and Mo) in soil and their accumulation in edible plants (potato tubers, sweet potato, broccoli, and pepper fruits) at harvest. Soil samples were collected and analyzed for total and extractable metals using two extraction procedures, concentrated nitric acid (to extract total metals from soil) as well as CaCl2 solution (to extract soluble metals available to plants), respectively. Elemental analyses were performed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Concentrations of Zn, Cu, and Mo were significantly greater in tubers and peppers grown in sludge compared to their respective controls. Monitoring heavy metals in soil and edible plants should be regarded as a requirement for the safe use of soil amendments in agricultural fields.
Trace-Elements Concentrations in Edible Plants
Plant uptake is one of the main pathways through which metals enter the food chain. Farmers, especially limited resource farmers, are continually searching for alternatives to synthetic fertilizers to alleviate the escalating production costs associated with the increasing costs of energy and fertilizers and the problems of soil deterioration and erosion associated with intensive farming systems. Municipal sewage sludge (MSS) used for land farming typically contains heavy metals that might impact crop quality and human health. The main objective of this investigation was to determine the concentrations of seven heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cu, and Mo) in soil and their accumulation in edible plants (potato tubers, sweet potato, broccoli, and pepper fruits) at harvest. Soil samples were collected and analyzed for total and extractable metals using two extraction procedures, concentrated nitric acid (to extract total metals from soil) as well as CaCl2 solution (to extract soluble metals available to plants), respectively. Elemental analyses were performed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Concentrations of Zn, Cu, and Mo were significantly greater in tubers and peppers grown in sludge compared to their respective controls. Monitoring heavy metals in soil and edible plants should be regarded as a requirement for the safe use of soil amendments in agricultural fields.