ISHS Acta Horticulturae 500: II WOCMAP Congress Medicinal and Aromatic Plants, Part 1: Biological Resources, Sustainable Use, Conservation and Ethnobotany
HEAVY METAL UPTAKE BY MINT |
| Authors: | V.D. Zheljazkov, E.A. Jeliazkova, L.E. Craker, B. Yankov, T. Georgieva, T. Kolev, N. Kovatcheva, S. Stanev, A. Margina |
| Keywords: | pollution, phytoremediation, Mentha, Cd, Pb, Cu, Zn, aromatic crops, essential oil |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.1999.500.16 |
| Abstract:
In 1991–1993 in pot experiments we studied the effect of highly heavy metal polluted soils on some quantitative and qualitative characters of M. piperita L. (cv Tundja and Clone No 1) and M. arvensis var piperascens Malinv. (cv Mentolna-14). Soils were taken at distances of 0.5, 3, 6 and 10 km from Non-Ferrous Metals Combine (NFMC) near Plovdiv. The following was estimated: fresh herbage yield, content of essential oil in the fresh herbage, yield of essential oil, heavy metal concentration in soils, plant parts (roots, stems, leaves and flowers) and in the essential oils, GC analyses of the oils. Plants, grown on the first soil contained excessive amounts of Cd, Pb, Zn and Cu, and the yield of essential oil was up to 17% lower than from the control soil. High heavy metal concentration in the plants did not affect the essential oil content, but decreased menthol content in the oils. Despite high heavy metal content in the plants, (above the critical levels for Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn in the plants), oils as final product were not contaminated. Although heavy metal concentration in the other soils was relatively high, yields and quality of essential oil were not significantly affected. The tested cultivars of M. piperita and M. arvensis could be used as alternative for other edible crops on heavy metal polluted soils. Although peppermint and commint plants removed moderate amounts of heavy metals from the soils, in a long term they could be used for phytoremediation of metal polluted soils. | |
Download Adobe Acrobat Reader (free software to read PDF files) | |
