Abstract
Abstract This study presents the results of the testing toxicity of the contaminated sediments from the water reservoir of Ružín No.I deposit (Slovak Republic) by using Phytotoxkit tests (MicroBioTests Inc., Belgium). The Phytotoxkit system is a screening tool used for a variety of toxicity testing applications. The advantages of this toxicity bioassay are its speed, relative simplicity and low cost compared to chemical analysis and many other biotests. Evaluation of sediments phytotoxicity was based on the testing of seed germination and the assesment of the root growth decrease of the plant Sinapis alba which allows to complete the assays after only 3 days of incubacion. Chemical analysis of the sediment samples involved determination of heavy metal (Cu, Zn, Ni, As, Sb and Hg) concentration. No potential phytotoxic effect of heavy metals in contaminated sediments was observed in the majority of tested seeds of Sinapis alba.
Highlights
The Phytotoxkit microbiotest is very flexible method to determine the impact of pollutants on higher plants and can be applied to different types of plant seeds for testing the sediments in comparison to the control soil
Total heavy metal content (Cu, Zn, Ni, As, Sb and Hg) in the sediments was determined after hot mineralization in a mixture of acids using the atomic absorption spectroscopy method (AAS)
Heavy metal contents (Table 1.) exceeded legal standards allowed by Law No.111/2010 (No 188/2003) on application sludge and bottom sediment in agriculture fields) in the case of As, Sb and Hg
Summary
The Phytotoxkit microbiotest is very flexible method to determine the impact of pollutants on higher plants and can be applied to different types of plant seeds for testing the sediments in comparison to the control soil. The effect on seed germination and root growth of mustard (Sinapis alba) in the first stadium of development is tested. Mustard root is thin; shoot is erect, hairy and up to 150 mm with clear green leaves. Seeds are relatively big in comparison with other Brassicaceae species, yellow or white yellow and round-shaped. They reach to 1.5 – 4 mm in diameter. Phytotoxkit is the alternative test using modification of OECD 208 standards, (ISO 11269-2) Soil Quality, Method for the Measurement of Inhibition of Root Growth. A combination of toxicological and biological assays with physicochemical data is needed to interpret and characterize contaminated sites (PLAZA, et al, 2010)
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