Content of Mobile Elements in the Soil and their Accumulation in the Shoots and Fruits of Highbush Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum L.) and Bogbillberry (V. uliginosum)

Abstract

Vaccinium uliginosum L. is aboriginal plant species in Ukraine, and Vaccinium corymbosum L. is from the American continent but is widely cultivated in Europe and Ukraine for fruit production. The vegetative part of these plants is practically not used, and their chemical composition has not been studied in detail, although the native Europeans and Americans used the plants for medicinal purposes. Contents of selected elements were determined in samples of forest V. uliginosum L. shoots and fruits harvested in Western Ukraine and cultivated V. corymbosum L. (three cultivars) fruits and shoots. The atomic absorption spectrophotometry with sample aspiration in air-acetylene flame was used to analyze the metal concentration. Chemical analyses of shoots showed significantly greater content for essential elements (Cu, Zn, Mn, Co, Cr) than in fruits of both investigated species. In the fruits of V. corymbosum is much more Cu, Zn, Ni, Mn (2.13-3.17; 3.58-8.84; 0.74-1.18; 3.36-6.52 mgkg-1 DW) compare to V. uliginosum ones. V. corymbosum varieties differ significantly in content elements in the shoots and fruits (especially Co, Cr, Cu, Cd). Correlation between the concentrations of elements in shoots and fruits of V. corymbosum cultivars as well as in shoots and fruits of V. uliginosum and the mobile metal concentrations in soil of their growth were calculated, but direct connections were not found. The element composition of Vaccinium corymbosum shoots and fruits has proven to be promising tools.