Macronutrients and Heavy Metals Contents in the Leaves of Trees from the Devastated Lands at Kryvyi Rih District (Central Ukraine)

Abstract

The relevance of these studies was due to the need to clarify the biogeochemical characteristics of woody plant species that grow naturally on devastated lands. The object of this paper: to carry out a comparative analysis of macro nutrients and heavy metals contents in the leaves of trees spontaneously sprouting on the devastated lands at the Kryvyi Rih District. This research was performed at Petrovsky waste rock dump, the Central part of the Kryvyi Rih iron-ore & metallurgical district (Dnipropetrovsk region, Ukraine). The macronutrients (K, Ca, Mg, P and S) and heavy metals (Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Pb and Cd) contents in the leaves of three species of the trees (Ash-leaved Maple Acer negundo L., Silver Birch Betula pendula Roth. and Black Locust Robinia pseudoacacia L.) that were collected on devastated lands were assessed. It was established that trees which grow on the Petrovsky dump take place under evident shortage of nutrients (especially K and P) and excess of metals (especially Fe, Mn and Zn). Taking into account the revealed values of macronutrients optimal concentrations and revealed the heavy metals lowest content in the leaves, we assume that Ash-leaved maple and Black locust (compared to the Silver Birch) are more resistant to the geochemical conditions of devastated lands.