Published in Scientific Papers. Series B, Horticulture, Vol. LXVIII, Issue 1
Written by Patricia TARKANYI, Georgeta Sofia POPESCU, Laura RĂDULESCU, Liana Maria ALDA, Monica Cristina DRAGOMIRESCU, Simion ALDA, Narcis Gheorghe BAGHINA, Despina-Maria BORDEAN
Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica L.) is a perennial crop well adapted to a varied range of environmental conditions. The cultivation of nettle could help meet the high demand of nutritious plants, for food, nutraceuticals and as a substitute for artificial fibers for different industries. Nettles are well known as hyperaccumulators of heavy metals, growing as weed, worldwide, which makes them suitable for the present study. The aim of this study is to present the possibility of using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectrometry as a valuable tool to create fingerprints to evaluate the environmental pollution of a specific area using soil and nettle plants samples, as well as verifying the quality of plants utilized as potential food sources. Nettle plants and soil samples were randomly collected from different areas of Romania, dried under controlled environment, then prepared for XRF Analysis. All samples were analyzed in triplicate using Hitachi X-MET8000 XRF analyzer and the results were statistically evaluated using statistical programs. The results show the possibility to obtain valuable fingerprints based on the elemental composition correlated to the geographical origins of plants.
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