A COMPARATIVE STUDY FOR UPTAKE OF SOME HEAVY METALS BY PLANTS IN NEWLY RECLAIMED SOILS

Abstract

The present study was carried to investigate the general characteristics of soil (wadi Oodaib and wadi Doat), Soil profiles (0-25, 25-45, 45-90cm. depth) were collected from the barren soil of Shalateen area, plant samples (wild and cultivated ), and water samples. The soil , plant and water samples were analyzed from N,P,K Cu, Zn, Fe, uranium and thorium, showed that the uranium in wadi Odaib higher than wadi Doat. A pot experiment was carried out through two successive seasons of 2012&2013, on Kalamata Olive budlings to investigate the adverse effects of adding uranium to the nutrient solution at 7 concentrations. The effect of organic matter amendment in the media to diminish the adverse effects was also assessed. The evaluated parameters were vegetative growth parameters, biomass, leaf total chlorophyll, leaf macro-nutrients ,fresh weight ,water content and uranium accumulation , uptake , translocation. The attained data clarified clear adverse effects which were in proportional to increasing the added uranium. Amending the growing media with farm manure showed significant palliative effects which increased with increasing the application rate. It was concluded that the adverse effects related to uranium application in our opinion is basically due to decreasing the macro nutrients absorption and this is evident by its' decreasing concentration in the leaves. This was reflected on the decrease total chlorophyll in the leaves leading to lowering their photosynthetic activity. This resulted in decreasing the vegetative growth and thereby decreasing the biomass. The effect of adding organic matter might be attributed to their effect on adsorbing uranium which led to a decrease in its' accumulation and thus reducing its' adverse effects. In addition to the nutritive effects of the organic matter which enhance growth parameters and biomass.