Accumulation of Heavy Metals and Metabolites in Taraxacumofficinale (L.) Weber ex F.H.Wigg. on Polymetallic ContaminatedArea

Technogenic terrains are one of the most unfavorable terrains for occupying of plant species. However, there are species that are distributed in such places and their reaction to such conditions is interesting. Some of them can be used for remediation of such terrains. The purpose of this study is to establish relationships among the heavy metals in the roots and aboveground part of T. officinale on the one hand and the metabolites synthesized under conditions of polymetallic contamination in Osogovo Mine, West Bulgaria. The metabolites were identified by GC/MS. There were determined 19 soil characteristics, content of 15 elements in aboveground and in the root system of Taraxacum of icinale, as well as 20 metabolites. The concentrations of the studied elements in the aboveground part were significantly higher than the ones in the root system. There were found 40 significant correlations among the studied soil indicators and the studied metabolites in the roots. The number of statistically significant correlations (106) among the studied soil indicators and the studied metabolites in the aboveground parts were determined. There are also statistically significant correlations (38) among the studied chemical elements in the roots, the metabolites in the roots, and the metabolites in the aboveground part as well as 32 statistically significant correlations among the studied elements in the aboveground part of T. of icinale and the studied metabolites in the aboveground and underground parts.