ACCUMULATION OF COPPER IN VEGETABLES AND FRUITS

Abstract

Soil pollution is a component that contributes to the increase of environmental pollution. The level of soil pollution is given by its degree of contamination with various pollutants, heavy metals, etc. Because agricultural products in general, respectively fruits and vegetables in this case, extract water and nutrients from the soil to develop, it is necessary to study how a certain degree of soil contamination leads to obtaining crops which contain a percentage of those toxic elements that can produce long-term sickness in people who currently consume such contaminated products. The paper presents the accumulation and transfer of copper from soil to vegetables (radishes and carrots, parsley and spinach leaves), berries (strawberries, black currants) and plums. In the experiments, fertile soil was used in which different amounts of copper sulphate were added (c1 = 33.2 mg·kg-1, c2 = 72.4 mg·kg-1, c3 = 265.1 mg·kg-1, c4 = 378.2 mg·kg-1) in four concentrations, taking as reference a sample of uncontaminated soil (c0 = 17.6 mg·kg-1). The resulting and well-homogenized soil was added to pots in which vegetable seeds, shrubs and trees in the second year of fruiting were planted. The paper aims to highlight the presence of copper in soils and its accumulation in the vegetative parts of vegetables and fruit consumed by humans. The correct diagnosis of nutritional deficiencies in plants is important in maintaining their growth and development. Excessive accumulation of heavy metals is a danger to the health of the human body.