Soil-to-plant bio-accumulation factor as indicator of trace metal implementation into the food chain

Abstract

The content and behaviour of metals in agricultural soils are very important for food safety. The results presented in this paper are part of a great research that includes monitoring of the parameters in the soil and plant at the site of the largest power plant in Serbia. Part of the study presented in this paper investigates soil contamination with Cd and Zn and their translocation to edible parts of spelt (Triticum spelta L.) with calculation of bio-accumulation factor (BAF). Spelt is well adapted to marginal lands and present healthy attractive crop which better absorb nutrients from soil comparing to common wheat. Oppositely to common wheat its grains have high protein content but a low Cd content. The DTPA-extractable BAF values of Zn for almost every crop were higher than those for Cd, indicating that Zn is more easily translocated into the plant from soil than Cd. BAF indicates possibility of toxic metal implementation into the food chain. Comparing to previous research, studied spelt showed a high translocation of Zn and Cd from the soil to the edible part of plant, even though the concentration of Zn and Cd in soil were below the threshold limit for agricultural soils.