Analysis of heavy metals in different vegetables in various areas of Indore city (Madhya Pradesh, India)

Abstract

Soils contain various metals in the form of inorganic compounds or they may remain bound with organic matter, clays, or oxides. The spreading of urban waste and waste sludge in agricultural fields has been a standard practice for decades. The focus was to conduct analysis and compare the concentration levels of heavy metals in two elite vegetables (chilies and potatoes) at ten different vegetable study areas in Indore, Madhya Pradesh (India). Results of heavy metal determination in elite vegetables and the corresponding soil samples of pot experiments revealed a clear dependence on the concentrations of metals in the pots. Correlation reflects that the uptake trend is similar due to solutions being more in increasing metal concentrations. Percent uptake of various metals from soil to the plant components additionally shows that the pots where percent uptake was higher were prone to uptake of that metal, and even a smaller increase in the level of these metals in soil will cause much higher uptake. The physiochemical conditions of soil are also of great concern for the uptake of heavy metals by the plants.