Pesticides and Heavy Metals in Soils of Aligarh District: Accumulation of Heavy Metals in Plant Species

The study was undertaken to investigate the concentration of organochlorine pesticides and selected heavy metals in fifteen soil samples, collected from different parts of Aligarh district. The sampling of soil (irrigated by sewage water and tube well water) was done bimonthly during the period from January 1998 to December 2000. The results indicate that total concentration of pesticide ranged from 0.015 to 0.05 µg g⁻¹ The soil samples irrigated by sewage water ware found to contain higher concentration of these pesticides and heavy metals. The content of heavy metals in the soil samples was found below the critical value for plants. The concentration of heavy metals and pesticides in different parts of vegetables, cauliflower and radish, was found higher in samples which were grown in sewage water irrigated soils than in the tube well water irrigated samples. The concentration of pesticides and metals in vegetables were positively correlated with concentration in soils. Leaf part of plant was found to contain the maximum concentration of heavy metals while edible part the minimum.