The objective of this experiment is to investigate the chemical distribution of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and zinc (Zn) in different fractions of the soils, industrially polluted by the Non-Ferrous-Metal Works near Plovdiv, Bulgaria and the effects of concentration and different chemical forms of the elements in soil on their uptake by tobacco. The results of this experiment confirmed that potential bioavailability of heavy metals is strongly controlled by their chemical forms related to solubility and exchangeable and carbonate forms are the most important form of heavy metal uptake by plants. Tobacco has an exceptional capacity to accumulate Pb, Cd, and Zn in high heavy metal exposure conditions, while under lower-heavy metal exposure condition tobacco was apparently similar to other leaf crops in heavy metal accumulation potential. The experimental data obtained for the presence of Pb, Cd, and Zn in the different parts of tobacco grown in an industrially polluted region showed that their amount...

Peppermint (Mentha × piperita L.), sage (Salvia officinalis L.), and clary sage (Salvia sclarea L.), cultivated at selected distances from a heavy metal pollution source (the Non-Ferrous Metal Works near Plovdiv, Bulgaria) were examined for heavy metal accumulation. The content of heavy metals in the roots, stems, leaves, and inflorescences, plus the heavy metal concentration in the essential oils obtained from clary sage and peppermint indicated that higher metal concentrations in the soil led to higher levels of the metals in plant tissues. Of the plants studied, clary sage had the highest and sage had the lowest concentrations. The plant that most strongly absorbed and accumulated heavy metals from the soil was Salvia sclarea, followed by Mentha × piperita, and Salvia officinalis. The content of Pb, Zn, and Cd in the leaves from sage and peppermint cultivated in the region of the metal works exceeded the maximum regulatory permissible concentrations and could be a potential danger if used as h...

Comparative research has been carried out to determine the quantities and accumulation of lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and cadmium (Cd) in the vegetative and reproductive organs of crops of the Solanaceae family (tomato, pepper, and aubergine) as well as to identify the possibilities of growing them on soils contaminated by heavy metals. The analyses were carried out by inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectrometry after dry ashing. Heavy metals have an impact on the development and productivity of the crops of the Solanaceae family. The high anthropogenic contamination impedes the normal development and fruit‐bearing ability of the pepper and aubergine plants, and in the case of tomatoes, it led to an increased assimilation of heavy metals without reducing the yield and the quality of the production of tomatoes. Crops from the Solanaceae family, tomato, pepper, and aubergine plants, could be cultivated on soils having low and medium levels of contamination of heavy metals, because they do not show a tendency to accumulating Pb, Zn, and Cd in their fruits, which could still be used for consumption.