Heavy metal contents in Veronica species and soil from mountain areas in Serbia

Abstract

This paper describes the relationships between concentrations of selected trace elements in soil and their bioaccumulation in aerial parts of three Veronica species (Plantaginaceae). Plant and soil samples were collected from three mountainous areas in Serbia, prepared by microwave acid-assisted digestion and analyzed by flame and flameless atomic absorption spectrometry. Total concentrations of Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe and Cr in the soil varied from 12.38 to 47.77, 62.78 to 138.00, 517.58 to 1675.78, 13574.22 to 35920.00 and 36.18 to 115.15 mg/kg, while those in the plants ranged from 6.04 to 12.8, 27.66 to 58.01, 25.38 to 89.25, 35.53 to 563.26 and 0.44 to 18.96 mg/kg, respectively. There were no significant differences in heavy metal concentrations between tested Veronica species from the same location, indicating that their heavy metal uptake pattern was not species specific. In the case of Mn, despite its wide variation in soil, concentrations in plant samples were uniform, which suggests potential ability of tested species to control Mn uptake or translocation to upper plant parts. Additionally, the lowest concentrations of Cu were obtained in plant samples collected from soil with the highest Fe concentrations, pointing out that Cu availability to plants might be reduced due to high Fe content in soil solution.