ACCUMULATION OF HEAVY-METALS BY AGRICULTURAL PLANTS WHEN APPLYING WASTE-WATER SLUDGE

Application of waste-water sludge to Sod-Podzolic soils leads to their contamination by heavy metals (HM). The coefficients of concentration of available forms of HM are 2-10 times higher than the bulk content. The accumulation of HM in agricultural plants depends on their conten t in soils and the biological features of the plants: with the same ca dmium content in the soil, cabbage, beets, and dill accumulate it in a mounts of 0.09, 0.7, and 2.5 mg/kg dry biomass, respectively. The resu lts obtained and the calculated coefficients of HM accumulation by agr icultural plants are discussed with regard to the problem of obtaining pure produce.