Presence of toxic matter in edible vegetable parts

Abstract

The long-term research work on the presence of toxic matter, nitrates and heavy metals in some vegetable crops was presented in the paper. The experiments were carried out under production conditions in protected and open field conditions, on the soil with different contamination level with heavy metals and differing nitrogen amounts being fertilized.
Based upon the long-term research, it may be concluded that nitrate content was higher in the outer lettuce leaves in the plastic house than that in those in the open field. With the increase in nitrogen rate, the content of nitrate increased, too, in the cabbage, similarly to that in spinach in which genetic tolerance to their accumulation was also manifest.
The content of toxic heavy metals was found to be somewhat higher than that of normal values, but still being within permissible values in view of human nutrition.