PHYTOEXTRACTION OF CADMIUM AND LEAD BY SELECTED CULTIVARS OF Tagetes erecta L. PART II. CONTENTS OF Cd AND Pb IN PLANTS

In the Department of Plant Fertilization, University of Life Sciences in Poznan, a vegetation experiment (in plastic tunnel) was carried out in which the substrate was artificially contaminated with cadmium and lead and three cultivars of Tagetes erecta L. were planted in it: 'Mann im Mond', 'Hawaii' and 'Titania'. The substrate was artificially contaminated with increasing doses of metals: Cd - 0 (control); 1; 5; 10 mg dm(-3;) Pb: 0 (control); 100; 500; 1000 mg dm(-3). The objective of studies was to investigate which organs of Tagetes erecta L. cumulated the greatest amounts of cadmium and lead, what amounts of Cd and Pb move from the substrate to the organs of the studied cultivars and whether the studied cultivars of Marigold are suitable for the remediation of soils polluted with cadmium and lead. The metals contained in the particular plant organs, after dry mineralization, were identified by the method of atomic spectrophotometer AAS-3 of Zeiss Company. In all studied cultivars, the highest contents of cadmium were found in leaves, smaller amounts were shown in stalks, while inflorescences contained the smallest Cd amounts. The highest amounts of lead in all studied cultivars were found in the stalks, smaller amounts in the leaves and the least amount was shown in the inflorescences The greatest contents of cadmium and lead were found in the organs of 'Hawaii' cultivar, both in the leaves, stalks and inflorescences. The studied cultivars of Tagetes erecta can be utilized for the remediation of soils polluted by heavy metals.