• Energy Research

Wild fire occurred in the summer 2007 on the Vidlic Mountain (Serbia) overspreading a huge area of meadows and forests. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of wild fire on the content of heavy metals in plants Aegopodium podagraria, Hypericum perforatum and Chelidonium majus belonging to the families Apiaceae, Hypericaceae and Papaveraceae. Also, we examined the content of heavy metals in soil samples on which the test plants grow a year after fire. As control samples was investigated by the appropriate plant material and soil from the site in the immediate vicinity that was not affected by the fire. Metal content in the soil was determined in the fractions of extractible, bioavailable and pseudo total cations. The content of all examined heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cu and Zn) is the biggest in pseudo total cations fractions and the lowest in bioavailable cations fractions. The exception is the land on which the plant A. Podagraria grows, because the content of copper and zinc was the largest in the fraction of extractable cations. The concentration of heavy metals in all fractions was always higher in soil samples that were exposed to the fire, except in the extractible metal cations fractions of A. podagraria and H. perforatum. Lead is characterized by the highest concentration in the soil of all three plant species. The lead content was much greater in pseudo total cations fractions. The underground parts of plants that were grown on both locations have a higher concentration of lead in relation to the above-ground portion. The content of zinc was higher in the plant samples than in samples of soil where the plants are grown. Above-ground parts of all three examined plants contain more copper than the corresponding underground parts of the plant. The underground parts of examined plants from location that were not exposed to the fire have higher levels of cadmium than plants from the localities which suffered from the fire.

Wild fire occurred in the summer 2007 on the Vidlic Mountain (Serbia) overspreading a huge area of meadows and forests. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of wild fire on the content of heavy metals in plants Aegopodium podagraria, Hypericum perforatum and Chelidonium majus belonging to the families Apiaceae, Hypericaceae and Papaveraceae. Also, we examined the content of heavy metals in soil samples on which the test plants grow a year after fire. As control samples was investigated by the appropriate plant material and soil from the site in the immediate vicinity that was not affected by the fire. Metal content in the soil was determined in the fractions of extractible, bioavailable and pseudo total cations. The content of all examined heavy metals (Pb, Cd, Cu and Zn) is the biggest in pseudo total cations fractions and the lowest in bioavailable cations fractions. The exception is the land on which the plant A. Podagraria grows, because the content of copper and zinc was the largest in the fraction of extractable cations. The concentration of heavy metals in all fractions was always higher in soil samples that were exposed to the fire, except in the extractible metal cations fractions of A. podagraria and H. perforatum. Lead is characterized by the highest concentration in the soil of all three plant species. The lead content was much greater in pseudo total cations fractions. The underground parts of plants that were grown on both locations have a higher concentration of lead in relation to the above-ground portion. The content of zinc was higher in the plant samples than in samples of soil where the plants are grown. Above-ground parts of all three examined plants contain more copper than the corresponding underground parts of the plant. The underground parts of examined plants from location that were not exposed to the fire have higher levels of cadmium than plants from the localities which suffered from the fire.