Accumulation of heavy metals in flowers of fruit species

Abstract

The main objective of the present study is to measure the levels of heavy metals in important fruit species such as apple, apricot, and nectarine and their nine, five, and six cultivars, respectively. This work investigates the accumulation of Fe, Cu, Zn, Ni, Cd, Pb, and Cr in flowers of above species, to measure the levels of heavy metal contamination. The obtained results revealed that amounts of heavy metals significantly varied among cultivars at the same species and were within the permissible amounts in general. The Cd was not detected in apricot, nectarine, and the most of apple cultivars. Results for floral Fe, and also for Cu and Zn, which are the most important micronutrients for fruit production, suggest that levels of these elements might be used for assessing the storage of these elements during the previous season. We assume that the production of apple, apricot, and nectarine is safe, and there is no risk of contamination with heavy metals. © Springer International Publishing 2014.