Bioindication for Detecting Environmental Risks in Agrocenoses Contaminated with Heavy Metals

Abstract

The relevance and scientific and methodological approaches to the use of the bioindication method for assessing environmental risks in agrocenoses contaminated with toxic substances (in particular, heavy metals) were substantiated in the article. The study is based on the use of bee honey and heavy metal transfer coefficients in the sequential chain "soil – honey plant – bee honey". This ensures control over the content of toxicants in the soil and inflorescences of honey plants. Toxicant transfer coefficients can be used in the soil-plant-beekeeping products chain as indicators for developing environmental risk management tools. Bioindication is important for contaminated agricultural landscapes that are used as raw materials and forage lands for beekeeping and other environmental objects. The use of the bioindication method makes it possible to assess the environmental risks of toxic substance pollution of agroecosystems and natural biocenoses and to outline the boundaries of toxicant pollution of a certain area for the safe placement of apiaries and obtaining high-quality bee honey.

Keywords

• bee honey
• bee products
• heavy metals
• bioindication
• environmental risks
• agrocenosis
• transition coefficient