CONTROL OF POLLUTION WITH HEAVY METALS IN LETTUCE PLANTS

Abstract

Control of pollution with heavy metals in lettuce plants was investigated in two types of experiments i.e., pot experiments (three experiments) conducted at Desert Research Center (DRC), El-Mattaria, Cairo and a field experiment at El-Hana farm, El-Bostan extension area, El-Behaira governorate. Both types of experiments were conducted during two successive winter seasons of 1994/95 and 1995/96 to throw light on the effect of adding soil amendments i.e., organic manure, clay and calcium carbonate on the heavy metal toxic action in two lettuce (Lactuca sativa) cultivars namely: Balady and Great Lakes.

Thus, the study included four experiments as follows:

The first experiment (Control of pollution with cadmium in lettuce plants grown in pots) This experiment included 32 treatments {(2 lettuce cultivars X 4 Cd levels of soil (0, 10, 20 and 30 ppm) X 4 soil amendments ( 0, 15 g organic manure, 10 g clay and 5 g CaC03 /kg soil)}. The second experiment (Control of pollution with nickel in lettuce plants

grown in pots) This experiment included 32 treatments {(2 lettuce cultivars x 4 Ni levels of soil (0, 50, 100 and 150 ppm) x 4 soil amendments (0, organic manure, clay and CaC03 at the same amounts of the first experiment)}. The third experiment (Control of pollution with lead in lettuce plants grown in pots): This experiment included 32 treatments {(2 lettuce cultivars x 4 Pb levels of soil (0, 100, 200 and 300 ppm) x 4 soil amendments (0, organic manure, clay and CaC03 at the same amounts of the first experiment)}. Each of the three pot experiments was designed as a complete randomized block pattern (2 lettuce cvs. X 4 soil amendments X 4 pollution source levels concerned in each experiment).