SAREPTA MUSTARD (BRASSICA JUNCEA (L.): EFFECTIVENESS OF PHYTOREMEDIATION AT THE FLOWERING STAGE

Abstract

The scientific paper investigates the effectiveness of phytoremediation of soil by Sarepta mustard (Brassica Juncea (L.)) at the flowering stage with an emphasis on heavy metals, in particular Barium, Zirconium and Zinc. Soil contamination with heavy metals in Ukraine has become an extremely urgent problem due to the hostilities taking place in the country. This pollution can have a significant impact on the yield and quality of agricultural crops, as well as pose a threat to the health of the population that consumes such products. Sarepta mustard is used not only for food purposes but can also serve to restore soils contaminated with heavy metals. The study was conducted on a site near a busy road, where the soil potentially contains a higher content of heavy metals. For analysis, samples were taken from a meter layer of soil in increments of 10 cm before sowing and at the time of flowering of Sarepta mustard. Soil analysis at this stage is because in the case of a positive result, that is, a significant absorption of heavy metals, it will be possible to perform phytoremediation several times during the spring-summer season. As a result of the study, it was found that Sarepta mustard can effectively absorb Barium from the soil, especially in layers of 20–30 cm, 40–50 cm, 50–60 cm and 60–70 cm. At the same time, the decrease in the concentration of Barium in the remaining layers was not statistically significant. For Zirconium, its content in the layers of 0-10 cm and 20–30 cm decreased slightly, although these changes were statistically significant, this does not allow to consider Sarepta mustard as an effective accumulator of this element in the flowering phase. Zinc absorption analysis showed that Sarepta mustard absorbs a small amount of this element in the flowering phase. As a result, the study confirms the possibility of using Sarepta mustard for phytoremediation of Barium from the soil to the flowering phase, while for Zirconium and Zinc the absorption efficiency requires further research. Such studies are important for developing methods for monitoring and cleaning soils in regions affected by heavy metal pollution because of hostilities