Copper and zinc concentrations of medicinal herbs and soil surrounding ponds on agricultural land

Abstract

This study measured copper and zinc concentrations in medicinal herbs and soil sampled from three agricultural fields with ponds from mid-June till the end of July 2014. Six herb species were tested: Potentilla anserina L., Mentha arvensis, Achillea millefolium L., Comarum palustre L., Lysimachia vulgaris L., and Lycopus europaeus L. Two of the ponds were in the borough of Jabłonna Lacka and one in the borough of Sabnie. The fields around each pond were divided into transects with three concentric soil moisture sections, each with different soil water contents. Soil and plant samples were taken from each transect to determine the concentrations of copper and zinc by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry. Despite the use of fertilizers and pesticides in the fields, copper and zinc had not polluted the soil or the plants growing in the soil depressions. Out of the six plants tested, only C. palustre had an increased concentration of zinc. Different farming methods used on the fields affected the concentrations of copper and zinc in the soil of the different depressions. The highest concentrations of these metals were found in the soil of the periodically wet sections.

Promotion of growth and metal accumulation of alfalfa by coinoculation with Sinorhizobium and Agrobacterium under copper and zinc stress

“…Pollution of the biosphere by heavy metals, such as copper and zinc, has increased dramatically since industrial production and extensive use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, as well as the use of industrial waste waters for irrigation (Ampofo & Awortwe, 2017; Malinowska & Jankowski, 2017). Although copper and zinc are essential trace elements for most living organisms, as they participate in electron transport, redox, and other metabolic reactions, excess copper or zinc could induce various morphological, physiological, and biochemical dysfunctions directly or indirectly in organisms.…”

Barium, Lithium and Titanium Content in Herbs of Mid-Field Wet Depressions in East-Central Poland

“…Thus, the accumulation coefficient of Ba and Li in herbs was estimated as average, while for Ti it was low [16]. The coefficient values for plants indicated varied accumulation of metals from the soil, which was also demonstrated in many other studies [19,[30][31][32][33][34]. The highest Ba, Li and Ti accumulation coefficient was recorded in Mentha arvensis L., in addition to Ba in Potentilla anserina L. (Table 6) and Li in Achillea millefolium L. (Table 7).…”

Copper, Iron, Cadmium, and Arsenic, All Generated in the Universe: Elucidating Their Environmental Impact Risk on Human Health Including Clinical Liver Injury

“…Copper is commonly found in the environment [ 25 ], such as in and around solid waste fills [ 23 ], soil [ 23 , 61 , 62 ], drinking water [ 63 ], and the atmosphere [ 61 ]. As an antifungal chemical, copper is widely used in agriculture, explaining its detection in edible plants [ 64 ] and in plants used to prepare herbal medicines [ 24 , 49 ].…”

“…Copper is used in agriculture [ 69 , 70 ], with preference in viticulture to protect grapes from downy mildew [ 70 ] and with copper detected in agricultural land focusing on soil surrounding ponds [ 62 ]. Industries like copper smelters, iron and steel production, and municipal incinerators contribute to the pollution by copper [ 61 ].…”

“…Elucidating the environmental impact risk of copper on human health, including clinical liver injury, requires a careful and critical analysis of published proposals. Selected sources of relevant copper environmental pollution can be localized to several areas of interest and are briefly described, including critical comments ( Table 2 ) [ 6 , 23 , 24 , 29 , 44 , 48 , 57 , 61 , 62 , 65 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 , 87 , 88 , 89 , 90 , 91 ].…”