Heavy metal content of soil and jute mallow (Corchorus olitorus L.) Collected from organic and inorganic fertilizer farms

This study determined heavy metal content of soils and jute mallow (Corchorus olitorus L.) collected from organic and inorganic fertilizer farms. Jute mallow and soil samples (at 0 - 15 and 15 - 30 cm depths) wererandomly collected from organic, inorganic and control (no fertilizer application) farms in Alabata community, Abeokuta, Nigeria. The samples collected were digested and analyzed for heavy metals: Lead (Pb), Cadmium (Cd), Copper (Cu) and Zinc (Zn) using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer (AAS). Data were subjected to descriptive statistics and analysis of variance. Means were separated using Duncan’s Multiple Range (DMR) test. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship between the metals in jute mallow and soil. The concentrations of the metals in the soils and jute mallow were in the order of Zn > Cu > Pb > Cd and the values decreased with soil depth. Inorganic farms hadsignificantly (p < 0.05) highest concentrations of metals in soils and jute mallow. There was a significant (p< 0.05) positive correlation between the level of the metals in soils and jute mallow.Keywords: Heavy metal, Soil, Jute mallow, Organic and inorganic farms