Heavy Metals Accumulation in Brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) and Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) under Bachaoli Bujurg Region of Jhansi

Abstract

A field experiment was conducted during 2022–23 and 2023–24 at BachaoliBujurg, Jhansi, to evaluate “Heavy metals accumulation lead (Pb) accumulation (mg kg⁻¹) in brinjal (Solanum melongena L.)  and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) under BachaoliBujurg region of Jhansi” grown under contaminated soil conditions. Treatments included farmyard manure (FYM), kitchen waste compost, vermicompost, and their combinations, along with contaminated and uncontaminated controls. In brinjal, the lowest Pb concentrations (100 mg kg-1) in leaf were recorded under T1 (Contaminated + FYM 5 t ha⁻¹) with values of 0.064 and 0.063,followed by T2 (Contaminated + FYM 10 t ha⁻¹; 0.083 and 0.064) and T11 (Contaminated + FYM 5 t + Kitchen waste compost 5 t + Vermicompost 5 t ha⁻¹; 0.096 and 0.099) during 2022–23 and 2023–24, respectively. The highest lead (Pb) accumulation were observed in the contaminated control (T12: 1.135 and 1.137) and the uncontaminated control (T13: 2.310 and 2.487). In tomato, minimum leaf concentrations were also recorded under T1 (0.058 and 0.059), followed by T2 (0.072 and 0.061) and T11 (0.088 and 0.089), while the uncontaminated control (T13: 2.015 and 2.102) and contaminated control (T12: 0.982 and 0.985) showed maximum accumulation. Stem Pb concentrations further confirmed the superiority of combined amendments, the lowest accumulation occurred under T10 (Contaminated + Kitchen waste compost 5 t + Vermicompost 5 t ha⁻¹) with values of 0.065, 0.068 and pooled 0.0665, followed by T11 (0.064, 0.065 and 0.0645). The highest stem concentration was recorded in T12 (0.807, 0.109 and pooled 0.458). In tomato, T10 recorded the lowest stem concentrations (0.057, 0.060 and pooled 0.0585), while the highest accumulation was observed in T13 (0.692, 0.098 and pooled 0.395). Overall, combined organic amendments were more effective than single amendments in reducing Pb accumulation and internal translocation in both crops. Brinjal consistently exhibited higher Pb accumulation than tomato, indicating greater translocation efficiency. These findings demonstrate that integrated organic amendment strategies can significantly mitigate Pb entry into the food chain and offer a practical approach for food safety assurance and sustainable soil testing and management in Pb-contaminated agricultural systems.