V. ANGELOVA, R. IVANOVA and K. IVANOV
Agricultural University, BG-4000 Plovdiv, Bulgaria
ANGELOVA, V., R. IVANOVA and K. IVANOV, 2003. Heavy metals in plants and oils from family Apiaceae. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 9: 455–462
In the study were included plants from familly Apiaceae – Coriandrum sativum L., Carum carvi L., Anetehum graveolens L., Foeniculum vulgare Mill. and Pimpinella anisum L., grown in regions, situated at a different distance from the source of pollution – the Non-Ferrous-Metal Works near Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The contents of the heavy metals in the plant material (roots, stems, leaves, seeds) and oil were determined after the method of the dry mineralization and the quantitative measurements were carried out with ICP.
A clearly distinguished species peculiarity exists in the accumulation of the heavy metals in the vegetative and reproductive organs of studied plants. The plants can be divided into three groups which differ considerably in their ability to accumulate heavy metals: (i) low accumulator (Foeniculum vulgare Mill, Anetehum graveolens L.); (ii) – moderate accumulator (Coriandrum sativum L, Carum carvi L) and (iii) high accumulator (Pimpinella anisum L.).
The plants from family Apiaceae could be successfully grown on heavy metal polluted soils. Foeniculum vulgare Mill. is the most perspective plant for growing in industrially polluted region, as the concentration of the most hazardous heavy metals were low in etherial oil. The oil of Anetehum graveolens L. can be used in the tobacco and food industries as well as in medicine, whereas the oil of Pimpinella anisum L can be used in cosmetics and perfumery.