Bioaccumulation of Chemical Elements in Vegetables as Influenced by Application Frequency of Municipal Solid Waste Compost

Municipal solid waste (MSW) compost is used to enrich soils by virtue of its bio-physicochemical properties. But undesirable accumulation of chemical elements can reduce soil quality and cause food safety issues. A 5-year field study was carried out to investigate the impact of Compost Quality Alliance tested MSW compost application frequency (annual, biennial and no-compost) on soil quality and chemical elements accumulation in edible portions of lettuce (Lactuca sativa cv. Grand Rapids), beets (Beta vulgaris cv. Detroit Supreme), carrot (Daucus carota cv. Nantes) and green bean (Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Golden Wax). Analysis of soil showed that chemical elements were highest in annual followed by biennial, but less in control (no-compost) and fallow soils. Soil background levels of chemical elements influenced the concentrations of iron and manganese in green bean, aluminum in green bean and beets, and barium in carrot, beets, and lettuce. Cadmium concentration in beets, lettuce, and green bean grown in annual plot was increased by 48%, 52% and 62%, respectively while carrot recorded 56% increase in the biennial plot compared to no-compost. Bioaccumulation factorsThe accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author