ABSTRACT
This study was conducted in the Greenhouse of the Department of Soil Science and Land Management, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Benin, Benin City, to determine the heavy metal concentration of Celosia argentae raised on soils from dumpsites in Benin City, Edo State. Soil samples were collected from dumpsites from three different land uses around Ugbowo Campus of University of Benin City. The soils from the dumpsites were filled into plastic buckets and used to raise Celosia argentae. The experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with three treatments and replicated three times. Soil and plant sample were collected and taken to the laboratory for analysis and standard procedures were used to analyze the samples. Data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Duncan’s New Multiple Range Test was used to separate the means at 5% level of significance.
The parameters measured include: pH, Total organic carbon, Total nitrogen, Available phosphorus, Sand, Silt, Clay, Boron, Chlorine, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Zinc, Lead, Chromium and Cadmium for the dumpsite soils, while the micro nutrients (Boron, Chlorine, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Zinc) and heavy metals (Lead, Chromium and Cadmium) for the plant samples. The results show that the pH of the soils from the dumpsites were moderately acidic (5.66 – 5.92). The soils belong to the textural class: sand. The total organic carbon ranged from high (16.73 g/kg) in the dumpsites from residential area to very high (21.53 g/kg and 29.50 g/kg) in the dumpsites restaurant and learning center respectively. The total nitrogen range from 0.927 g/kg in the dumpsite of residential area to 1.333 g/kg in the dumpsite from learning center. The micro nutrients (Boron, Chlorine, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Molybdenum, Zinc) and heavy metals Lead, Chromium and Cadmium) contents of the soils from the dumpsites and plant samples were generally low and below the permissible range and does not pose any toxicity threat.
