Heavy Metals Uptake in Plant Parts of Hot Pepper Grown in Recycled Waste

In agricultural practices, composting and land application of wastes are increasingly popular ways for exploring organic waste as a source of organic matter, while decreasing the amount of waste diverted to landfills. Bioaccumulation and entry of heavy metals from recycled waste into the food chain have turned heavy metals as major environmental pollutants. The main objectives of this investigation were to quantify concentrations of seven metals (Cd, Pb, Ni, Mo, Cu, Zn, and Cr) in the fruits, leaves, stem and roots of Capsicum annuum L. (cv. Xcatic) plants grown under four soil management practices: yard waste, sewage sludge, chicken manure, and no-much  bare soil. Elemental analyses were performed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). Cadmium, Pb, and Ni are the metals of great concern to human health since plants can accumulate them and introduce them into the food chain. Concentration of Pb in pepper leaves (0.89 µg g^-1 dry weight) was significantly greater (P< 0.05) than in fruits, stem and roots. While, Ni was greater in the roots (1.5 µg g^-1 dry weight) and Cd was greater in the leaves (0.22 µg g^-1 dry weight) compared to the other plant parts. Regardless of soil treatment, Cu and Zn were taken up and accumulated in the fruits. The impact of potentially toxic trace metals in sludge applied to cropland can be reduced by growing low-accumulator crops which do not accumulate these metals in their edible portions and by reducing the rate at which recycled wastes are applied.