The Influence of an Environment on the Content of Macro- and Microelements in the Tanacetum vulgare

Abstract

Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare L.) grows in moderate area of the northern hemisphere, in Poland – its range covers the whole country. It appears on the farm wastelands, by roadsides, on enbankments, river banks, forest lips and in open spaces. The present paper has faced the challenge of defining the influence of the environmental conditions on the mineral composition of Tanacetum vulgare leaves. The plants were picked in the blooming period from May to September 2017 in 12 natural environments of their growth and at different contamination levels. The dried and minced plant material was submitted to chemical analyses of the bio elements content (K, P, Cu, Zn, Mo) of leaves. A great variety was observed when speaking in terms of particular elements content in dependence on the position. In all tests, significant quantities of K and P were found. The study results point at the very fact that the mineral composition of Tanacetum vulgare leaves is influenced by the environmental contamination, caused by the nearby “neighbourhood” of circulation areas of high traffic volume, factories or patrol stations.

Keywords

• environment
• Tanacetum vulgare L
• mineral components of plants
• the anthropogenic areas
• non-anthropogenic areas