Effects of Lead-Contaminated Soil Through Battery Slag on the growth of Amaranthus cruentus

Adepoju Francis Adegbola and Fadina Olubunmi

 

Full Length Research Paper I Published June,2019

 

Journal of Agricultural Science and Food Technology  Vol. 5 (4), pp.72-77.

 

ABSTRACT

The impact of battery slag contaminated soil on Amaranthus cruentus yield was studied. Lead is the dominant reactive component of battery slag. Seeds of A. cruentus were sown on soil contaminated with battery slag containing a high concentration of Lead. The battery slag soil was analyzed to know the level of Lead contamination. The contaminated soil was diluted with uncontaminated soil to obtain different levels of contamination. Ratio 4:0; 3:1; 2:2, 1:3 and 0:4 in proportionate mixture of contaminated to uncontaminated soil were made, respectively making a total of a 4kg soil in an experimental pot. Plant growth parameters were taken 5 weeks after sowing with the highest plant height of 15.2cm recorded in a plant grown on the least contaminated soil and 0.9cm recorded on the plant grown on the most contaminated soil. The same trend was recorded on the plant stem diameter with 0.3 and 0.05cm in most and least contaminated soil, respectively. The number of leaves per plant was not significantly different in 0:4, 1:3, and 2:2 contamination levels but a comparably smaller number of leaves recorded in plants grown on 3:1 and 4:0 contamination levels. Lead contamination greatly affected plant yield and farmers using abandon industrial dump sites would have yield loss due to lead contamination of such lands and this will amount to a loss of resources and due to bioaccumulation of lead in such plants, the consumer (man and animals) health are being greatly threatened.

KeyWords: Contaminated-soil, Heavy metals, Exide battery Lead, Leave-number, Plant-height, Stem-diameter, Lalupon, Ibadan.

 

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