Essential Heavy Metals Research Articles

Assessment of Heavy Metal (Zinc, Copper, Lead and Cadmium) Contamination in Common Edible Shellfish Species of the Hooghly River and Sunderbans, India

The content of four heavy metals (Zinc, Copper, Lead and Cadmium) in muscles of three shell fish species - prawns -Penaeus monodon and Penaeus indicus and crabs-Scylla serrata, the most prime shellfish food resources of human in the domestic and international market were studied at four stations in the estuarine belt near Bay-of-Bengal which receives wastes of various types from industries and various anthropogenic activities. The samples were digested by acid digestion. The metal contents were quantified using an AAS (Atomic absorption spectrophotometer). The distribution of trace metals accumulated in the muscle tissues of the above mentioned species was in the order- Zn > Cu> Pb> Cd. In the present study, levels of Zinc in the shell fishes ranged from 07.44±0.65 to 128.10 ±2.96 ; Cu ranged from 5 ±0.15 to 99.14 ±1.31; Pb varied from 1.67± 0.14 to 23.99 ± 0.79 and Cd ranged from 1.29± 0.35 to 7.09 ± 0.80.The concentration of the four metals exhibited spatial variation as station 1 >station 2 > station 3 > station 4, which could be a reflection of different bioavailability of metal concentrations in the water body at different stations. The results obtained showed that the metal concentrations in most of the cases were above the threshold value recommended by WHO. Metals such as Cu, Zn, Pb, Cd, can affect various aquatic organisms as well as human being either directly or indirectly as they can enter into the food chain and may be biomagnified at higher trophic levels which is one of the top concerns for human health. Essential heavy metals such as Zinc and Copper are relatively less harmful at low concentration while non-essential metals such as Cd and Pb are highly toxic even at low concentrations.

Heavy Metal Interactions with Neuroglia and Gut Microbiota: Implications for Huntington's Disease.

Huntington's disease (HD) is a rare but progressive and devastating neurodegenerative disease characterized by involuntary movements, cognitive decline, executive dysfunction, and neuropsychiatric conditions such as anxiety and depression. It follows an autosomal dominant inheritance pattern. Thus, a child who has a parent with the mutated huntingtin (mHTT) gene has a 50% chance of developing the disease. Since the HTT protein is involved in many critical cellular processes, including neurogenesis, brain development, energy metabolism, transcriptional regulation, synaptic activity, vesicle trafficking, cell signaling, and autophagy, its aberrant aggregates lead to the disruption of numerous cellular pathways and neurodegeneration. Essential heavy metals are vital at low concentrations; however, at higher concentrations, they can exacerbate HD by disrupting glial-neuronal communication and/or causing dysbiosis (disturbance in the gut microbiota, GM), both of which can lead to neuroinflammation and further neurodegeneration. Here, we discuss in detail the interactions of iron, manganese, and copper with glial-neuron communication and GM and indicate how this knowledge may pave the way for the development of a new generation of disease-modifying therapies in HD.

Neuroprotective Strategies and Cell-Based Biomarkers for Manganese-Induced Toxicity in Human Neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) Cells.

Manganese (Mn) is an essential heavy metal in the human body, while excess Mn leads to neurotoxicity, as observed in this study, where 100 µM of Mn was administered to the human neuroblastoma (SH-SY5Y) cell model of dopaminergic neurons in neurodegenerative diseases. We quantitated pathway and gene changes in homeostatic cell-based adaptations to Mn exposure. Utilizing the Gene Expression Omnibus, we accessed the GSE70845 dataset as a microarray of SH-SY5Y cells published by Gandhi et al. (2018) and applied statistical significance cutoffs at p < 0.05. We report 74 pathway and 10 gene changes with statistical significance. ReactomeGSA analyses demonstrated upregulation of histones (5 out of 10 induced genes) and histone deacetylases as a neuroprotective response to remodel/mitigate Mn-induced DNA/chromatin damage. Neurodegenerative-associated pathway changes occurred. NF-κB signaled protective responses via Sirtuin-1 to reduce neuroinflammation. Critically, Mn activated three pathways implicating deficits in purine metabolism. Therefore, we validated that urate, a purine and antioxidant, mitigated Mn-losses of viability in SH-SY5Y cells. We discuss Mn as a hypoxia mimetic and trans-activator of HIF-1α, the central trans-activator of vascular hypoxic mitochondrial dysfunction. Mn induced a 3-fold increase in mRNA levels for antioxidant metallothionein-III, which was induced 100-fold by hypoxia mimetics deferoxamine and zinc.

Effects of Food-Derived Antioxidant Compounds on In Vitro Heavy Metal Intestinal Bioaccessibility

Environmental contamination by heavy metals (HMs) has emerged as a significant global issue in recent decades. Among natural substances, food-deriving polyphenols have found a valuable application in chelating therapy, partially limited by their low water solubility. Thus, three different hydroalcoholic extracts titrated in quercetin (QE), ellagic acid (EA), and curcumin (CUR) were formulated using maltodextrins as carriers, achieving a powder with a valuable water solubility (MQE 91.3 ± 1.2%, MEA 93.4 ± 2.1, and MCUR 89.3 ± 2%). Overcoming the problem of water solubility, such formulations were tested in an in vitro simulated gastrointestinal digestion experiment conducted on a water sample with standardized concentrations of the principal HMs. Our results indicate that regarding the nonessential HMs investigated (Pb, Cd, As, Sb, and Hg), MQE has been shown to be the most effective in increasing the HMs’ non-bioaccessible concentration, resulting in concentration increases in Cd of 68.3%, in As of 51.9%, in Hg of 58.9%, in Pb of 271.4, and in Sb of 111.2% (vs control, p &lt; 0.001) in non-bioaccessible fractions. Regarding the essential HMs, MEA has shown the greatest capability to increase their intestinal bioaccessibility, resulting in +68.5%, +61.1, and +22.3% (vs control, p &lt; 0.001) increases in Cu, Zn, and Fe, respectively. Finally, considering the strong relation between the antiradical and chelating activities, the radical scavenging potentials of the formulations was assayed in DPPH and ABTS assays.

Dampak Paparan Logam Berat Besi (Fe) Terhadap Hemoglobin (Hb) Pada Darah Tikus Wistar

Iron (Fe) heavy metal, in certain amounts is an essential heavy metal, much needed by living organisms; however, in excessive amounts, iron metal can be toxic. Iron (Fe) metal has adverse effects on health, as it is harmful to organs and causes physiological problems especially Hb levels in the blood. This study aims to see the impact of exposure to heavy metal iron (Fe) on living things represented by Wistar rats. The benefit of this study is to provide an overview of the exposure of living things, especially humans, will have an impact on hemoglobin levels that make humans can be affected by anemia. This research design with a post test group design only with a total sample of 10 rats divided into 3 groups, namely negative control, treatment 1 with a dose of 0.54 mg / BW and treatment 2 with a dose of 1.08 mg/BW, giving (Fe) is given from the first day to the 14th day and then taking rat blood through the orbital eye. Examination of heavy metal Fe with atomic absorption spectrophotometry and for Hb levels with Hemosmart Gold Hemoglobin Test Strip. The results of this study heavy metal (Fe) levels in the blood of rats are the highest levels found in the sample 1.08mg / BW T3 (H14) with Fe levels of 44.14 µg / L and the lowest Fe levels found in the sample with Fe levels of 14.78 µg / L and control of rats, Fe levels are 9.85 µg / L. Hb levels in the blood of rats were 0.54mg/BB dose was (7.4 g/dl 6.8g/dl), 1.08mg/BB dose obtained hemoglobin results (7.2g/dl 7.6g/dl). The normal Hb level of control rats in rat blood is 6.1 g/dL. The conclusion of this study is that the level of Fe that enters the body of rats greatly affects the hemoglobin (Hb) of wistar rats where if the level of heavy metal Fe increases in the blood there will be a decrease in hemoglobin (Hb) levels in the blood which will cause anemia.

Oxidative Dissolution Process of Sphalerite in Fe2(SO4)3-O3 System: Implications for Heavy Metals Removal and Recovery.

Metal sulfides in waste rocks and tailings are susceptible to serious soil and water contamination due to the generation of acid mine drainage (AMD) during stockpiling. The hydrometallurgical process is one of the most essential heavy metal remediation technologies through harmless disposal and resource utilization of the waste sulfides. However, atmospheric hydrometallurgy of sulfides still faces great challenges due to low leaching efficiency and high cost. In this work, we proposed a cooperative leaching system (Fe2(SO4)3-O3) and investigated the oxidative dissolution process of sphalerite (ZnS). Under the optimal conditions, the extracted zinc reached 97.8%. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) (·OH, 1O2 and ·O2-) were identified in the radical quenching experiments. The dissolution of sphalerite did not show passivation due to the ozone's capability to oxidize the sulfur in sphalerite to sulfate. In addition, stirring rate, O3 inlet concentration, and Fe2(SO4)3 concentration had a significant effect on the dissolution of sphalerite. Meanwhile, the apparent activation energy was 24.11 kJ/mol based on kinetic fitting, which indicated that the controlling step of the reaction was mainly a diffusion process. This work demonstrated the cooperative effect of sphalerite leaching in the O3-Fe2(SO4)3 system and provided a theoretical reference for efficient and atmospheric dissolution of sphalerite.

Predictors of urinary heavy metal concentrations among pregnant women in Jinan, China

BackgroundToxic heavy metal exposure and insufficiency or excess of essential heavy metals may have negative effects on pregnant women’s health and fetal growth. To date, the predictors of pregnant women’s heavy metal exposure levels remain unclear and vary with different regions. The study intended to explore potential predictors of exposure to heavy metals individually and high co-exposure to heavy metal mixtures. MethodsWe recruited 298 pregnant women in first trimester from prenatal clinics in Jinan, Shandong Province, China, and collected spot urine samples and questionnaire data on their demographic characteristics, lifestyle habits, consumption of food and dietary supplement, and residential environment. All urine samples were analyzed for seven heavy metals: cobalt (Co), molybdenum (Mo), strontium (Sr), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg). ResultsFactors associated with single heavy metal concentration were as follows: a) urinary As, Sr and Cd increased with women’s age respectively; b) pregnant women with higher monthly household income per capita had lower Sr and Mo levels; c) pregnant women with intermittent folic acid supplementation and those not taking tap water as domestic drinking water had lower Sr concentrations; d) Cd was positively linked with consumption frequency of rice; e) Hg was adversely related to consumption frequency of egg and the women who took purified water as domestic drinking water had lower Hg exposure. In addition, pregnant women’s age was positively associated with odds of high co-exposure to Co, As, Sr, Mo, Cd and Pb; while those with an educational level of college had lower odds of high exposure to such a metal mixture compared with those whose educational levels were lower than high school. ConclusionPredictors of single urinary heavy metal concentration included pregnant women’s age (As, Sr and Cd), monthly household income per capita (Sr and Mo), folic acid supplementation (Sr), rice consumption frequency (Cd), egg consumption frequency (Hg) and the type of domestic drinking water (Sr and Hg). Pregnant women with older age, lower educational level tended to have high co-exposure to Co, As, Sr, Mo, Cd and Pb.

Emerging insights into the impacts of heavy metals exposure on health, reproductive and productive performance of livestock.

Heavy metals, common environmental pollutants with widespread distribution hazards and several health problems linked to them are distinguished from other toxic compounds by their bioaccumulation in living organisms. They pollute the food chain and threaten the health of animals. Biologically, heavy metals exhibit both beneficial and harmful effects. Certain essential heavy metals such as Co, Mn, Se, Zn, and Mg play crucial roles in vital physiological processes in trace amounts, while others like As, Pb, Hg, Cd, and Cu are widely recognized for their toxic properties. Regardless of their physiological functions, an excess intake of all heavy metals beyond the tolerance limit can lead to toxicity. Animals face exposure to heavy metals through contaminated feed and water, primarily as a result of anthropogenic environmental pollution. After ingestion heavy metals persist in the body for an extended duration and the nature of exposure dictates whether they induce acute or chronic, clinical or subclinical, or subtle toxicities. The toxic effects of metals lead to disruption of cellular homeostasis through the generation of free radicals that develop oxidative stress. In cases of acute heavy metal poisoning, characteristic clinical symptoms may arise, potentially culminating in the death of animals with corresponding necropsy findings. Chronic toxicities manifest as a decline in overall body condition scoring and a decrease in the production potential of animals. Elevated heavy metal levels in consumable animal products raise public health concerns. Timely diagnosis, targeted antidotes, and management strategies can significantly mitigate heavy metal impact on livestock health, productivity, and reproductive performance.

Modeling the effects of essential heavy metals on environmental pollution: A linear and nonlinear prediction model via cascade forward‐neural network

The use of artificial neural networks (ANN) in studies with different content is increasing day by day, and its impact and acceptability are also increasing. The importance of using ANN in popular and large‐scale fields such as environmental pollution studies is known. Studies are carried out considering the need to develop ANNs, which can be an alternative to the data obtained as a result of the analyses made with instrumental devices that require high costs and trained human labor. This study, which was carried out using real data and samples showing biomonitoring properties such as soil and plants, is an example to fill the gaps in the literature. In this study, tools that can model both linear and nonlinear relationships were used. The simulation of the dynamic ecological system containing Fe, Mn, and Ni heavy metals was carried out from the point of view of artificial intelligence. It is revealed that ANN systems are supportive methods in studies of determining environmental pollution, especially in biomonitoring studies.

Comparative Assessment of Heavy Metals Loads in the Shoot of Selected Tree Plants and their Accumulation Potential in Kazaure, Jigawa Nigeria

The environment is often beautified by the presence of tree plants which consist of the shoot and the root. These plants contain organs often referred to as above ground organs (shoot) and below ground organ (root). In this study, the plant organs of five different plants including Adansoniadigitata, Anacardiumoccidentale, Azadirachtaindica, Eucalyptus globulus, and Parkiabiglobosa were sampled to investigate the levels of cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn). The sampled parts were transported in polythene bags to the laboratory where they were sorted, pretreated, stored and digestedwith10 cm3 of 6M nitric acid. The digested samples were subjected to analysis using atomic absorption spectrophotometry to determine the heavy metals (HMs). The results revealed that all the above ground organs of these plants accumulated HMs at varying levels. The leaf samples of the all tree plants accumulated higher concentrations of the HMs than the bark samples except in P. big lobosa (7.07 ± 0.42 mg/Kg, Co [leaf]; 14.10 ± 0.62 mg/Kg, Co [bark]). The results revealed that the leaves portion contained more of the essential heavy metals (EHMs) than the bark samples of the tree plants. A. indica has the highest bio-indication potential while E. globulus exhibited the least potential based on the above ground organs analysis. The translocation factors of the NHMs (Cr and Pb) were below unity. The translocation factors well above unity suggest better phytoextraction capability of the tree plants. All the plants potentially accumulated the metals at varying levels irrespective of the different geographical locations, morphological and biomass variations of the tree plants.

Assessing phytoremediation potentials of heavy metals on selected plants species in the restoration environments of Gold Mining Area

Mining activity have impacts on the environment which potentially expose heavy metals. Therefore, it is necessary to design the reclamation in order to improve the restoration. This research aims to assess the phytoremediation of potential acid forming (PAF) reclamation area of Henny Dump. The research was carried out by identifying the plant species, and then measuring the plant vegetation index, and measuring the concentration of heavy metals. The research showed that Falcataria molucana (IVI: 150%) and Gmelina arborea (IVI: 150%) are species with the highest Important Value Index (IVI). The soil analysis result for total concentrations of ferrous (Fe), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and mangan (Mn) showed that the most significant decrease in the four-year period i.e., Ferrous. Falcataria molucanna and Gmelina arborea as the fast-growing species for restoring the reclamation area which can survive in low acidity concentrations and high of heavy metals ferrous concentrations. These fast-growing species are tolerant in high concentration of ferrous and low acidity of soil quality, as well have the potential to absorb the essential heavy metals of ferrous, where in 2019 the iron concentration was 39,575 ppm and in 2022 was 7,100 ppm

Daya Jerap dan Efisiensi Adsorpsi Ion Tembaga Menggunakan Biosorben Serat Daun Nanas (Ananas comosus)

One of the essential heavy metals that living things require in small amounts is the copper ion (Cu2+). However, the presence of dissolved copper metal is toxic to organisms and can pollute the environment if it exceeds a predetermined threshold value. Pineapple leaf waste with high cellulose content can be used as a copper ion biosorbent. This research studied the effect of pineapple leaf fiber particle size and contact time at the adsorption of copper ions on the adsorption capacity and effectiveness of pineapple leaf fiber biosorbents in adsorbing copper ions. The research began with cleaning, drying, and grinding pineapple leaves. Then, the activation process was carried out for 70 minutes using 9% NaOH. The adsorption process of copper ions was carried out using 1 g of pineapple leaf fiber biosorbent based on the varying sizes of the biosorbent particles size of the biosorbent -40/+60; -60/+80; and -80/+100 mesh and contact time 30; 60; 90; and 120 minutes at a stirring speed of 90 rpm and a concentration of 10 ppm copper ion adsorbate to measure the remaining copper ions in solution after the adsorption process. The activated pineapple leaf fiber biosorbent has a water content of 14.3%; 12.4%; and 11.2% for each biosorbent particle size -40/+60; -60/+80; and -80/+100 meshes. The highest adsorption effectiveness was 94.93%, which occurred at a contact time of 90 minutes with a biosorbent particle size of -80/+100 mesh and an adsorption value of 0.94 mg/g.

Proximate Composition and Concentrations of Some Essential Heavy Metals in Liver, Kidney and Tissue Muscle of Cow, Ram, and Goat in Lokoja, Kogi State, Nigeria

Proximate Composition and Concentrations of Some Essential Heavy Metals in Liver, Kidney and Tissue Muscle of Cow, Ram, and Goat in Lokoja, Kogi State, Nigeria

Comparative Study of Mercury in Canned and Fresh Indian Oil Sardine Sardinella longiceps

Essential and non-essential heavy metals are two categories for heavy metals. Small amounts of essential heavy metals are required by the human body to ensure its proper operation. High concentrations can become hazardous and change how the biochemical mechanisms that keep the human body functioning normally. The human body does not require non-essential heavy metals like mercury (Hg), which can be harmful to human health. Mercury can come from both natural and anthropogenic sources. When polluted soil and organisms are consumed by aquatic species, mercury bioaccumulates in their tissues, and its concentration rises up the food chain. Within the marine ecology, fish are at the top of the food chain. The aquatic food chain often starts with fish, and fish organs and tissues are at the top of the hierarchy and accumulate large amounts of heavy metals. In particular, the liver, kidney, and gill organs store metals (loids) at the highest level, and this varies depending on the type of metal; nonetheless, muscle is extensively examined as it is the main part of fish consumed by people. The muscular tissue of canned and fresh Indian oil sardines (Sardinella longiceps) was examined in the current investigation to determine the buildup of mercury there. Utilising a spectrophotometric analytical approach, stannous chloride was used for the analysis. Mercury levels in canned and fresh sardines were found to be 0.09 and 0.10 ppm, respectively. Sardines have a known Hg concentration of 0.04-0.18 ppm at the non-predator trophic level worldwide, which is also the level at which sardines may be consumed. Thus, the present sardines under study from Mumbai region are found to be suitable for consumption.

Analysis of heavy metals content in well water and its predictive insights for students’ wellbeing in Almajiri Schools, Sokoto East, Nigeria

Education is a right to every child, but Sokoto is suffering from many issues ravaging education, therewith, a major issue is the Almajiri school. Because the Almajiri schools are abandoned there is every tendency that their drinking water is contaminated considering the rising pattern of pollution across the globe. The aim of the study was to carry out an analysis of heavy metal content in well water and propel some predictive insights for students well-being in Almajiri schools in Sokoto, Nigeria. Samples of well water were collected from Almajiri schools in Sokoto state and metals were analyzed using atomic abortion spectroscopy. 60.10 ± 5.1 to 600.1± 0.01, 100.1 ± 0.5 to 600.0 ± 0.02, are the ranges of calcium, and magnesium macroelements determined. The ranges for essential heavy metals zinc, and iron are as follows; 2.34 ± 0.05 to 5.00 ± 0.02 (zinc), and 0.54± 0.05 to 10.43 ± 0.5 (iron) respectively. The ranges of Pb, Hg, and Cd assessed are as follows: lead (0.0 to 1.06 ± 0.005), mercury (0.10 ± 0.002 to 2.501 ± 0.01), and cadmium (0.00122 ±0.0004 to 0.0761 ± 0.0001). The HI for the heavy metals determined are in the order of schools B&gt;D&gt;A&gt;C. The metals determined are either excess or little (with respect to essential heavy metals) in many cases. In one school, the HI is far above 1 and therefore risk the population with effects. Thus, can elicit harm to the consumers. They can affect the academic, cognitive capacity of the Alamjiri children. There is need to take proper measures to save the health and future development of the Almajiri child against heavy metals poisoning possibility. Â

Applicability of total reflection x‐ray fluorescence for heavy metal analysis in Lake Baikal sponges

AbstractOxidative stress of Lake Baikal organisms can be caused by pollution of nearshore with anionic surfactants or heavy metals. Some specific heavy metals are essential for aquatic organisms. At present, there are no data concerning heavy metal content caused by anthropogenic pollution or chemotaxonomic features of Baikal sponges. Here, we consider the applicability of total reflection x‐ray fluorescence (TXRF) to analyze heavy metals in Lubomirskia baikalensis to fill this gap. It was shown that TXRF method can be successfully applied to the fast and reliable quantification of Cu, Zn, Fe, and Mn in this object. Evaluation of different sample treatment procedures showed that the acid digestion by HNO3/H2O2 mixture is an optimal procedure for the preparation of sponges compared with suspension preparation. It helps to improve sensitivity, eliminate the effects of particle size and specimen heterogeneity. The total uncertainty of the TXRF results associated with the sample preparation, taking, depositing, and measuring of the specimen was 6%–18% for Mn, 3%–5% for Cu, 5%–12% for Fe, and 4%–5% for Zn. To validate the developed method, the TXRF results were compared with the data obtained by wavelength dispersive x‐ray fluorescence spectrometry. A good agreement of results was achieved. TXRF data show the dominance of essential heavy metals in L. baikalensis (n = 14) among other heavy metals. Correlations between Cu/Zn contents (R2 = 0.515) as well as between Fe/Mn contents (R2 = 0.972) can be explained by the contribution of them to L. baikalensis antioxidant system.

Shedding Novel Photophysical Insights Toward Discriminative Detection of Three Toxic Heavy Metal Ions and a hazard class 1 nitro-explosive By Using a Simple AIEE Active Luminogen.

In this work, we introduced a simple aggregation-induced emission enhancement (AIEE) sensor (PHCS) which can selectively detect and discriminate three environmentally and biologically imperative heavy metal ions (Cu2+, Co2+ and Hg2+) and a hazard class 1 categorized nitro-explosive picric acid (PA) in differential media. By virtue of its weak fluorescence attributes in pure organic medium owing to the synergistic operation of multiple photophysical quenching mechanisms, the molecular probe showcased highly selective 'TURN ON' fluorogenic response towards hazardous Hg2+ with a limit of detection (LOD) as low as 97nM. Comprehensive investigation of binding mechanism throws light on the cumulative effect of probe-metal complexation induced chelation enhanced fluorescence (CHEF) effect and subsequent AIEE activation within the formed probe-metal adducts. Noteworthily, the probe (PHCS) can be readily used in real water samples for the quantitative determination of Hg2+ in a wide concentration range. In addition, the probe displayed modest colorimetric recognition performances to selectively detect and discriminate two essential heavy metal ions (Cu2+ and Co2+) with a LOD of 96nM and 65nM for Cu2+ and Co2+ respectively, in semi-aqueous medium. Intriguingly, based on high photoluminescence efficiency, the AIEE active nano-aggregated PHCS displayed a remarkable propensity to be used as a selective and ultra-sensitive 'TURN-OFF' fluorogenic chemosensor towards PA with LOD of 34.4ppb in aqueous medium. Finally, we specifically shed light on the interaction of PHCS hydrosol towards PA using some unprecedented techniques, which helped uncover new photophysical insights of probe-explosive molecule interaction.

The investigation of the presence of heavy metals and evaluation of their concentration level in forage grasses (Bracharia) at a dairy farm

The quest to secure healthy consumption for both animals and man necessitated the interest of the authors to investigate the presence and the level of concentration of five heavy metals [Lead (Pb), Iron (Fe), Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu), Zinc (Zn)] in forages for the cows at a dairy farm in a Nigerian University. The studied forages were of three species namely; Brachiaria Gayana (also known as giant signal grass), Brachiaria Sabia, and Brachiaria Decumbens, which were collected from the research farm at Bowen University, Iwo, Nigeria. These samples were randomly collected in triplicate, labeled, stored and analyzed for the presence of five different heavy metals using PG990 atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS). The results showed traces of Pb although at a minimal level in all the samples collected, while Cd was not detected in all the forage grasses. The result also showed that the mean concentration of Fe, an essential heavy metal was the highest among all the heavy metals in the forages studied. The result is expected to shed more light on understanding the physicochemical properties of the forages in the studied dairy community.

Effect of essential heavy metals on leaf area, absolute growth rate and flower yield of tuberose cv. ‘Prajwal’

An experiment was conducted with graded levels of three essential heavy metals viz., MnSO4, CuSO4 and ZnSO4at three different concentrations i.e., MnSO4 @ 1000, 2000 and 3000 mg kg-1 soil, CuSO4 @ 100, 200 and 300 mg kg-1 soil, ZnSO4 @ 200, 400 and 600 mg kg-1 soil in addition with no application of nutrients as well as essential heavy metals in the soil (Control). The experiment was carried out with polybag culture method and conducted with a Completely Randomized Design using three replications. Data recorded on leaf area, absolute growth rate, and flower yield of tuberose cv. ‘Prajwal’ were analyzed using OPSTAT software and the least significant difference was used to differentiate the treatments. Mean analysis of the data indicated that application of ZnSO4 @ 400 mg kg-1 soil recorded significant increase in the leaf area (209.22, 239.31 and 224.87 cm2per plantrespectively during 2018-19, 2019-20 and the pooled data analysis) and absolute growth rate (0.035, 0.109 and 0.073cmday-1 respectively during 2018-19, 2019-20 and the pooled data analysis). Asubstantial increase in the weight of single floret in tuberose cv. ‘Prajwal’ was noticed by application of ZnSO4 @ 400 mg kg-1 soil which might be attributed to the consequential increase in the leaf area and absolute growth rate, even though the analyzed data was found non-significant.

Study of kabul river canal sediments for heavy metals status and its accumulation in wheat plant (triticum aestivum)

Canal cleaning is a routine activity on the canals diverted from the Kabul River. As a result, thousands of tons of sediment are removed as sludge and flushed back into the Kabul River. In Peshawar city, most people use this sediment as a soil conditioner in lawns. But the farmers are hesitant to apply it in agricultural fields. It is perceived that the sediment may be rich in heavy metal contents and, if used as a soil conditioner, may contaminate the food chain. To unveil the facts, this study was conducted with the aim of analyzing sediment samples for selected heavy metals and their uptake and accumulation in different parts of the wheat plant. For this purpose, the sediment collected from Warsak Gravity Canal (WGC) was analyzed for total essential heavy metals including iron (Fe), copper (Cu), cobalt (Co), manganese (Mn), and Zinc (Zn). Wheat crop was grown in four different pots consisting of pure soil, pure sediment, and two amendments i.e. soil mixed with 25% and 50% sediments. In comparison to sediment, the soil samples were high in copper, cobalt, and Zinc concentration. The concentration of iron and manganese was comparatively high in pure sediment but within permissible limits. The heavy metals uptake by the wheat crop was also within the permissible limits. The highest accumulation of copper, iron, and Zinc was observed in the roots of wheat plants. The highest value of cobalt was observed in the seed (0.407 mg Kg-1), which was within the safe range. Therefore, it is concluded that the sediment of the Kabul River canal cannot be considered a source of pollution in terms of heavy metals and can be used as a soil conditioner.