Heavy Metals Concentration in Greenhouse Soil Used in Intensive Cucumber Production (Cucumis sativus L.)

摘要

Heavy metal contamination is one of the most important issues regarding the pollution of agricultural soils. Among heavy metals, cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr) lead (Pb) and nickel (Ni) are of great concern, because they are toxic to organisms at low concentrations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the dynamics of Cr, Cd, Pb and Ni in a greenhouse soil-plant system under intensive cucumber production. The experiment was conducted in a greenhouse located at the Srebrenik municipality, in the north-eastern part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry was used to determine the concentrations of Cr, Cd, Pb and Ni in soil and plant samples. The concentration of total Cr and Ni in the examined greenhouse soil was higher than the permissible values established by the legislation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, while concentrations of Cd and Pb did not exceed the permissible values determined by the same legislation. The concentration of available forms of all examined heavy metals in the tested soil as well as in edible parts of the cucumber was low regardless. These results indicate that the assessment of total heavy metals concentration in soils (to the contrary of the assessment of their available forms) is generally deficient in providing reliable information on the contamination of soil by heavy metals, and thus the suitability of such soils for cucumber production.