Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, tefan cel MareUniversity - Suceava Volume XI, Issue 2 – 2012 38 THE STUDY OF HEAVY METALS (NI, ZN, CU, PB) IN THE VEGETATIVE ORGANS, HARVEST AND GROWING SOIL OF POTATOES, WHEAT AND WILD BLACKBERRY *Rafael H. YEDOYAN1, T. V. YEDOYAN2 1Vanadzor State Pedagogical Institute,* info@vspi.am 2Yerevan State University of Architecture and Construction, Armenia *Corresponding author Received 6 May 2012, accepted 26 June 2012 Abstract: Here was discussed the researches of heavy metals transition to the root, steam and leaf from sprout growing soil of potatoes, wheat and wild blackberry. The growing soil data comparison shows that soils differ with heavy metals content. Heavy metals content differs a little in potato leaf and tube. This gives an opportunity to suggest a new method that is to define heavy metals content in potato tube before harvesting, which will have great organizational and economical importance. According to our study in different organs of potato, wheat and blackberry the quantity of Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb is proportional to their content in soil; Zn. Cu. Ni. Pb contents in vegetative organs of potato, wheat and blackberry and harvest are different; Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb contents in potato tube, wheat grain and blackberry fruit is the least as compared with vegetative organs; The contents of heavy metals in potato tube can be defined by means of new method, before harvesting, by analysis data of green leaf. Growing soils have different contents of heavy metals. Keywords: heavy metals, root, green leaf, potato, sprout, juicy fruit, crop. 1. Introduction Biosphere and human populatio n health need protection and conservation. The population health depends on production of ecologically pure products. Ecologically pure product is a priority problem of modern agricultural product evaluation, where is significant not only the production of many and qualified agricultural products and raw materials, but also the ecological evaluation of pollution. The kinds of crop harvest pollution are of different nature from this viewpoint. The wide usage of chemicals lead as agricultural products - fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, different growth stimulators, as well as cultivation of trans-genetic sorts. The environment safety, improvement of sanitary conditions of anthropogenic factors, ecological wastes treatment and reduction, toxic elements in ecosystems and ecologically pure product receiving is one of the main problems, separate issues of which are solved by many scientists of the world. The high rate of populatio n growth on the earth, advanced stage of motor transport, power engineering, food, heavy and light industr y development essentially increases humane influence on biosphere. There mailto:info:@vspi.am Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, tefan cel MareUniversity - Suceava Volume XI, Issue 2 – 2012 39 were used as many raw materials as for the whole human history on the Earth during the last 30 years [1]. The science has not created such ecological terms and methods that would give an opportunity to abolish the emerging negat ive ecological problems. Indeed, some technological processes are being improved in industry, but ecological damage is irreversible from the ecological viewpoint [1,2]. 2. Experimental Plant pollution is directly connected with water, atmosphere, especially soil pollution. Water, atmosphere and soil pollution factors are divided into 3 groups: 1. Physical (temperature, noise, electromagnetic field, radioactive materials), 2. Chemical (chloral-organic, aromatic combinations, carbonic acid, heavy metals, radio nucleotides, mineral fert ilizers, herbicides, various chemicals), 3. Biological (microbiological, biogenous, gene engineering). The sources of water, atmosphere and soil pollution are different, where nowadays heavy metals rank high term with their harmfulness [3,6,7,8]. According to the level of harmfulness these metals are divided into 3 groups: 1. As, Cl, Mg, Zn, F, Hg; 2. B, Co, Mo, Cu, Cr; 3. Ba, V, W, Mn. The main source of heavy metal distribution for agriculture is the soil, the ways of pollution of which are different and we won't touch upon it. But we wish to state by the scientific data of that sphere that they influence on the soil solution reaction, physicochemical properties, mechanical structure, absorption complex, changing soil fertility and crop yield [4,5]. Heavy metals get into the human organism both from crop yield, and wild plants used by people and reflect on their health. Plant pollution with heavy metals is conditioned by their quantity and dissemination in the growth soil. In this concern the main thing is the initial rock content, airing of which resulted soil was formed. Along with this the main sources of soil pollution with heavy metals is mining, heavy metallurgy, engineering industry, galvanic industry, production of cement, leather, light industry and food production waste and water used for irrigation in agricultural regions. The sources of water pollution are very different. Heavy metals get into plants from soil and into our organism by food chain and infect it, causing various illnesses. Their danger also consists in that influencing on genetic system they cause genetic illnesses, which are inherited to generations. The danger of heavy metals increases. The rates of harmfulness of separate heavy metals are not fully defined by separate metals calculation in plants and especially wild plants. Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, tefan cel MareUniversity - Suceava Volume XI, Issue 2 – 2012 40 3. Results and discussion According to data of definite illnesses monitoring carried out by medical centers and corresponding organizations in Lori region they are more spread in Lori region and heavy metals have their role here. According to international literature data cancer often occurs in developed countries [6,7,8]. If so, Lori region is not the most developed in RA. In the result of anthropogenic pollution in Lori region the presence of color metallurgy is specified (Copper- mo lybdenum factory of Alaverdi, Ajrum branch and small companies), as well as Teghut. It is possible that there can be other sources of illnesses which are not revealed yet. From this point of view it must be stated that both citizens of Vanadzor and region use wild spicy, food and herbal plants, the number of which is more than twenty. It is not excepted, that part of them can contain more heavy metals which can influence upon our health. The aim of this paper is to determine heavy metals content in food plants used by people and suggest a method to define HM content before harvesting. The research was carried out in 2009-2011. From cultured plants we took potatoes and wheat, and blackberry bush from wild ones. We followed the principles that both mentioned plants occupy the largest sowing area. Wild blackberry is widely used especially by Lori region population from which preserves and syrups are made and they are very rich of vitamins, sugars and mineral elements. Selecting these plants we also followed the botanical variety of crop formation, that is – underground potato crop tuber modification to sprout, wheat grain is a single-seed real fruit, and blackberry is multi-seed juicy fruit. The contents of heavy metals in different organs of plants were defined before harvesting. Average samples were taken from 20 plants. During the ripening of potato tops the leaves fall, which were dried in laboratory condit ions, as well as other samples. The content of heavy metals was defined by un-diction cuploidal plasmomass-spectrum ether analysis method. The researches were carried out upon potato «Morphona» and wheat «Bezostaya 1» sorts, and the wild plants of blackberry of Pambak region forest. The samples were taken from our agricultural industrial and experimental sowing area in Darpas. The cultivation of plants was carried out by the technology approved in the region for the same plants cultivation (land plowing and sowing, plant care and harvesting). Content of Ni, Zn, Cu, Pb (mg/kg) was studied in all plants. The study results contents of heavy metals in different organs and growing soil of wheat and potatoes are shown in tables [1,2]. In table 1 is shown heavy metals contents in green leaf, sprout, root, tube and growing soil of potato. It was Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, tefan cel MareUniversity - Suceava Volume XI, Issue 2 – 2012 41 revealed that in all cases from heavy metals the contents of Zn is the most, Pb is less, Cu and Ni have average content. It is remarkable, that this regularity is condit ioned by growing soil. Table 1. Quantitative data of Ni, Zn, Cu, Pb in potato tube and vegetative organs (mg/kg) N sample Heavy metals Ni Zn Pb Cu 1. Leaf 1.5943 8.7320 1.8435 6.8684 2. Sprout 3.6053 91.2308 2.2054 19.1473 3. Root 14.1301 55.5524 3.5985 22.2364 4. Tube 0.1206 0.33385 0.00915 0.044887 5. Soil 38.815 72.3573 2.6621 50.3459 In addition. the less contents of heavy metals is in tube. then in leaf. in other organs this regulation is not observed. Those heavy metals which are many in soil proportionally get into potato plant. In table 2 is shown the same data for wheat grain, leaf, sprout root and growing soil. Table 2. Quantitative data of Ni. Zn. Cu. Pb in wheat grain. leaf. tube and vegetative organs (mg/kg) N sample Heavy metals Ni Zn Pb Cu 1. Grain 0.0554 32.1754 0.0005 3.4084 2. Leaf 6.1682 17.0842 2.2689 4.7428 3. Sprout 2.5916 15.2739 0.2936 2.6427 4. root 6.4893 21.4806 1.8036 11.8458 5. Soil 51.7345 90.2153 13.3052 75.0361 In this case also heavy metals content in different organs of plant is proportional to their content in soil. But heavy metals contents do not differ in quantity. though in grain heavy metals are the less. except Zn and CU. where the difference is insignificant. Heavy metals content in decreasing sequence is as follows: Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb. In table 3 is shown data for wild blackberry. Content of heavy metals in blackberry is also conditioned by their content in soil and what is important the heavy metals content is less as compared with cult ivate plants and their content in decreasing sequence is as follows: Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb. The heavy metals content in case of blackberry o f in leaf. sprout. root are less in comparison with crop. It is interesting that Zn. Cu. Ni. Pb are more in leaf. in root and sprouts there is no regulatio n regarding their quantitative content. Table 3. The heavy metals contents in blackberry fruits - leaf. sprout. root and growing soil (mg/kg) No. sample Heavy metals Ni Zn Pb Cu 1. Berry 2.8728 41.8593 1.6366 19.5595 2. Leaf 9.6428 66.3545 6.5276 36.3678 3. Sprout 4.7645 52.2056 1.7386 14.0042 4. root 2.6425 48.1776 1.7584 53.6446 5. Soil 30.4895 1111.6418 76.2079 417.4815 Food and Environment Safety - Journal of Faculty of Food Engineering, tefan cel MareUniversity - Suceava Volume XI, Issue 2 – 2012 42 Thus, heavy metals Zn. Cu. Ni. Pb migration in various organs of plant and harvest is different and mainly depends on heavy metals quantity in soil and the most important – in potato tube, wheat grain and multi-seed fruit of blackberry these metals are the least. 4. Conclusion The growing soil data comparison shows that soils differ wit h heavy metals content. Heavy metals content differs a little in potato leaf and tube. This possibility gives an opportunity to suggest a new method that is to define heavy metals content in potato tube before harvesting. which will have great organizational and economical importance. According to our study the following is concluded: 1. In different organs of potato. wheat and blackberry the quantity of Zn, Cu, Ni, Pb is proportional to their content in soil. 2. Zn. Cu. Ni. Pb contents in vegetative organs of potato. wheat and blackberry and harvest are different. 3. Zn. Cu. Ni. Pb contents in potato tube. wheat grain and blackberry fruit is the least as compared wit h vegetative organs. 4. The contents of heavy metals in potato tube can be defined by means of new method. before harvesting. by analysis data of green leaf. 5. Growing soils have different contents of heavy metals. 5. References [1]. V. E. STEPANYAN, M. S. GALSTYAN, M. V. AZARYAN, M. V. KHANBABYAN, A. A. AVAKYAN. Environmental-geological and socio - economic frameworks for the assessment nature-technical negative changes in the environment of urbanized territory of Armenia. Yerevan, 2001. 419p. [2]. R. A. YEDOYAN. A study of some heavy metals (Ni. Zn. Pb. Cu) in the vegetative organs and potato tubers. Proceedings of XX International Scientific Symposium. Simferopol. 2001. 311-316 p. [3]. R. A. YEDOYAN, V. A. AVAGYAN, H. G. KOCHINYAN. Agriculture and Ecology. Yerevan 1999. 95 p. [4]. T. V. YEDOYAN, G. Sh. HOVSEPYAN. Wastewater treatment from heavy metals and the utilization of the wastes. International Congress "ETEWK-2009”. Collection of reports. Ukraine. Yalta, 2009. 247-248 p. [5]. A. K. SAGHATELYAN. Features of the distribution of heavy metals in the territory of Armenia. Monograph. Yerevan. 2004. 241 p. [6]. K. J. NETTER. Heavy metals in the environment. Toxicology. Volume 72. Issue 2. 1979. 235-236 p. [7]. E. A. MERIAN. Effect of Heavy metal pollution on plants. Chemosphere. Volume 11. Issue 4. 1982. 30-31 p. [8]. M. G. SHARON. Heavy metals. Handbook of Toxicologic Pathology (second edition). Volume 1. 2002. 701-733 p.