HEAVY METALS ACCUMULATION IN GREENHOUSE TOMATOES

Research work was carried out on “fresh” tomatoes and artificial soil samples taken from the actual production cycle in big polish greenery “Siechnice”. Vegetables were planted on milled coconut shells and fed with the solution of inorganic fertilizer containing main: N, P, K, Ca and minor: Fe, Cu, Mo, B, …elements. The duration of the tomatoes production cycle was approximately six months (from April to November 2001). Tomatoes and coconut soil samples have been taken for each new growth floor and analyzed on heavy metals contents. Analytical samples were dried, ashed and dissolved in nitric acid. Concentrations of some heavy metals (Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in the obtained solutions were measured using the ICP-AES method. Results for fresh tomatoes (produced in commercial scale) show generally that contents of heavy metals is nearly steady, with some variations (±35%) around yearly mean metals concentration. The concentrations of determined heavy metals in greenhouse tomatoes are nearly independent on changes of metal concentrations in used artificial soil and growth stage of tomato plants.