Quantitative Determination of Cadmium (Cd) in Soil-Plant System in Potato Cropping (Solanum tuberosum var. Huayro)

Abstract

One of the main daily consumer products in Peru is potato, but in recent years, the addition of agrochemicals with possible heavy metal content, such as cadmium (Cd) has decreased the quality of the final product resulting in a negative impact on soils. The objective of this study is to determine the concentration of Cd in cultivation areas and in potato plantations. For this purpose, 6 tuber samples, 6 leaf samples, as well as 6 samples of agricultural soil used for cultivation were taken. Subsequently, the concentrations of Cd were evaluated by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, and the results were subjected to variance analysis and mean comparison test (Tukey p < 0.05). Soil analysis for Cd shows that 50% of samples are not suitable for agricultural use, with concentrations reaching 3.99 mg kg-1 Cd; 83% of tuber samples pose a health risk, exceeding the Maximum Allowable Limits (0.1 mg kg-1) set by the Codex Alimentarius; and in the case of the leaves as a whole they have alarming levels of Cd, exceeding 2 mg kg-1.