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The aim of the present study was to analyze the chemical composition of parsley, parsnip, carrot, and celeriac cultivated at different localities (urban, or suburban/village). The concentrations of heavy metals (cadmium, nickel, chromium) and essential elements (potassium, sodium, calcium, phosphorus) in edible plant parts were determined. Human health risks associated with chronic consumption of potentially contaminated vegetables were assessed through the use of hazard quotients. The concentrations of heavy metals and essential elements in the edible parts of the tested plants varied among plant species, cultivation locality and plant organ (leaf/root). Carrots showed the lowest levels of cadmium, nickel, and chromium accumulation, while the highest concentrations were measured for parsley leaves, with respect to average values. Metal pollution index values obtained for cities were lower than those obtained for some villages and a suburban settlement. The hazard quotient revealed the highest values for cadmium. Positive Pearson's correlation between chromium and nickel was found in many cases. Principal component analysis indicated differences in plants ability to accumulate certain nutrients and pollutants, while sample diversification was closely related to growth site properties. We sincerely hope that the present study will inspire similar investigations in other developing countries, as well as in the Western Balkans region, to obtain broader insight into vegetable food safety and local human health risk. Considering that food quality and safety are major concerns, our results should inform the relevant government authorities and provide a foundation for implementation of a system of controls over cultivation processes and vegetable quality in Serbia., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Variations in soil chemical composition may lead to disturbances in plant growth and survival. Which strategies of biomass allocation fast-growing species acquire to overcome the disturbances in the rhizosphere remains an open research challenge. We conducted a series of greenhouse pot experiments to collect enough experimental evidence to elucidate the answer. A tiered analytical approach was applied to collected data to fingerprint both the intraspecies and interspecies differences. We investigated the biomass allocation patterns in Robinia pseudoacacia L., Populus × euramericana, Populus deltoides, Salix alba, Salix matsudana Koidz., and Salix viminalis L. (18 fast-growing genotypes in total) under cadmium-free and cadmium-perturbed soil conditions. Further, we explored the intraspecific and interspecific differences between tested plants and looked for different strategies employed under perturbed conditions. We show that fast-growing species tend to strengthen their roots toward the Cd triggered perturbances in the rhizosphere and allocate more biomass to that plant organ/part. Intraspecies analyses pointed to differences in resource use efficiency and acquisition strategy based on specific leaf area, pointing toward P. deltoides genotypes PE19/66 and PD3, and S. alba B44 as strong, fast-growing oriented genotypes. Others exhibited more or less a conservative resource use and acquisition strategy under perturbed conditions. Our study highlights the intraspecies and interspecies specificity of fast-growing species to Cd occurrence in the rhizosphere. Association of growth traits and Cd-related traits tested with structural equation model highlighted the shoots bioconcentration index as a proxy-trait which directly interplay with the functional traits performance and modify the biomass shift., (© 2021 Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.)

Celery and parsley are recognized as medicinal herbs and nutraceutical vegetables due to their valuable pharmacological properties and numerous health benefits. However, in recent years, soil loadings with various PTEs have become a serious concern across the world, leading to plants pollution, which can consequently diminish their quality and safety for human consumption. Therefore, we attempted to quantify quality and safety of celery and parsley grown in Cd polluted soil. We examined the presence of PTEs: As, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Cu and Cd in soil and selected herbs, as well as their physiological responses to different Cd exposures (control-without Cd addition, 3 and 6 µg/g Cd of dry soil). Following elevation of Cd in plants, both species showed increasing trend of As, Pb and Cu in plants, which overcome safe limits, with exception for Cu. Further, celery showed strong phytoextraction ability (99.9 µg/g Cd of dry weight) with high potential to tolerate Cd due to the efficient antioxidative machinery. Besides that herbs pollution was evident on the basis of target hazard quotients (HQ), hazard index (HI) and cancerogenic risk (CR), revealing that chronic consumption of contaminated herbs can consequently endanger human health. HI was greater than 1, while CR exceeded safe limits in treated plants, with exception for As. In the point of view of toxicology and food safety, growing of medicinal plants should be strictly regulated and distinguished based on the purpose of growing, and further herbs usage., (© 2021. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. part of Springer Nature.)

Willow species (Salix L.) are a useful tool for assessing phytostabilization of the sites polluted by heavy metals. Phytostabilization potential of two willow genotypes (Salix alba L. clone '68/53/1' and Salix nigra Marshall clone '0408') has been evaluated in a 45-day hydroponic experiment, using stem cuttings (diameter 12 to 14 mm, length 20 cm) exposed to two concentrations (10 -4  M and 10 -5  M) of individually applied Cd, Ni, and Pb. Metals were diluted in 25% Hoagland's solution, in forms of CdCl 2 ·H 2 O, NiSO 4 ·6H 2 O, and Pb-EDTA. The control group of cuttings was grown in 25% Hoagland's solution without heavy metals. High Cd concentrations in willow roots, 8637 mg/kg (clone '68/53/1') and 6728 mg/kg of dry weight (clone '0408'), have indicated a high phytostabilization potential. However, detailed analyses of cross-sectional area of the root cortex and the central cylinder revealed that the excess concentration of Cd led to a significant reduction of measured anatomical root's traits of clone '68/53/1' in comparison with the control samples. Excessive concentration of Ni and Pb in nutrient solution increased the values of quantitatively measured root's traits of clone '0408', implying stimulatory effects of the applied concentrations. Concentration of 10 -4  M of each metal had more negative effects on the roots' anatomical traits, notably on parenchymal and exodermal cells and vessels. Deposits of metals were observed in root tissues. Clone '0408' demonstrated an increased tolerance to heavy metals, which could potentially make this clone useful in phytostabilization.

During the past decade, the target in cleaning polluted sites is an application of chelating agents, such as citric acid (CA), which is proposed as a good candidate in the promotion of phytoremediation. Among heavy metals, cadmium (Cd) is one of the most common and dangerous elements, which strongly disturbs morphophysiological properties in plants. A pot experiment was assessed to evaluate the influence of CA in Cd phytoremediation in alkaline soil by Salix viminalis (clone SV068). The effects of CA on Cd bioavailability, mobility, and distribution in plants, various morphometric measurements, and physiological performances as photosynthesis, transpiration, water use efficiency, and pigment content were tested. The highest Cd accumulation was evident after 60 days of growing, in plants subjected to combined treatment of CA with a higher dose of Cd. Application of CA showed a beneficial effect in maintaining the photosynthetic rate as well as gas exchange capacity in willows grown in Cd-contaminated soil. Furthermore, CA slightly increased plant growth and biomass production, depending on applied Cd dose and harvest period. A chelating agent like CA showed strong influence in plant response to combat Cd toxicity.

Continuous monitoring of heavy metal content in vegetables is of high priority for population nutrition control, as well as risk assessment for human health. The chemical composition of plants is a reliable indicator of their contamination by hazardous substances accumulated in the environment as a consequence of inadequately applied agro-technology. The main goal of this study was to examine the quality of vegetables that reach consumer markets as a function of growth location. Samples of 11 of the most common vegetable species used in the human diet were collected during a 4-year survey. Vegetables originated from local farm producers who cultivated them at different locations in Vojvodina Province, Serbia. Many vegetable samples contained disturbingly high levels of the investigated metals: cadmium, lead, nickel, and chromium. The plant species with the highest Cd accumulation was spinach, where Cd leaves exceeded the maximum permissible concentrations (MPCs) in more than half of the analyzed samples from different localities (54%). Pb concentrations in spinach were also higher than MPC values (according to Serbian law 3.0 μg/g) in 46% of all analyzed samples. Results showed that Cr levels in all tested vegetable species were below MPC values recommended by the FAO/WHO organization. The largest chromium accumulator was spinach, with average values of 2.3 μg/g, followed by beetroot and parsnips with an average concentration of 1.4 μg/g. The highest average content of Ni in all analyzed vegetable species was also recorded in spinach leaves, with an average value of 2.2 μg/g, followed by broccoli (1.7 μg/g) and tomatoes (1.5 μg/g).

Evidence exists that Cd and certain nutrient elements, such as Fe and Mg, could share similar mechanisms of plant uptake and accumulation. Here we report that Mg and Fe deficiency in mature plants of Salix viminalis, grown in hydroponic solutions containing 5 µg ml(-1) of Cd, caused a significant increase in Cd accumulation in roots, stems and leaves. Cd (µg g(-1) dry weight) was determined following three treatments: 1) Cd treatment in complete nutrient solution; 2) Cd treatment with Fe deficiency; and 3) Cd treatment with Mg deficiency, yielding, respectively: in young leaves (65.3, 76.1, and 92.2), mature leaves (51.5 to 76.3 and 87.1), upper stems (80.6, 116.8, and 130.6) lower stems (67.2, 119, and 102.3), roots (377.1, 744.8, and 442,5). Our results suggest that Cd utilizes the same uptake and transport pathways as Mg and Fe. Evidence exists that Mg and Fe uptake and translocation could be further facilitated by plants as an adaptive response to deficiency of these elements. Such physiological reaction could additionally stimulate Cd accumulation. Although Cd uptake was mostly confined in roots, high Cd content in aerial plant parts (51.5-130.6 µg g(-1)) indicates that the analysed Salix viminalis genotype is suitable for phytoextraction.