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.