Geobotanical and biogeochemical study of chromite bearing areas of Nuggihalli schist belt, Karnataka

Rashmi, B. N. and Prabhakar, B. C. and Gireesh, R. V. and Suresh Kumar, B. V. and Nijagunaiah, R. and Ranganath, R. M. (2010) Geobotanical and biogeochemical study of chromite bearing areas of Nuggihalli schist belt, Karnataka. Current Science, 99 (5). pp. 619-627. ISSN 0011-3891

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Abstract

Four chromite-mineralized areas, viz. Jambur, Tagadur, Byrapur and Pennasamudra in the ultramafics-dominant Nuggihalli schist belt in southern Karnataka have been studied geobotanically and biogeochemically. All the four areas are characterized by 'serpentine' soils and support a distinct vegetation pattern of herbs and shrubs. Twenty two plant samples of seven different species and 22 soil samples including the dump areas near the abandoned mines, have been analysed for Cr, Co, Ni, V, Cu, Zn, Mo, As and Se to know their accumulation patterns in plants and their substratum. Dodonaea viscosa and Hyptis suaveolens growing in the dump area show poor growth and wilting effect, mostly due to hyperaccumulation of metals, especially the toxic ones like Cr, Ni and V. All the analysed samples of plant species show enrichment of Cr (up to 659 ppm), whereas other metals like Ni and Co, which are usually associated with Cr, are not in higher concentration. The individual uptake pattern of Cr, Cu, Ni, Co, Zn, As and Mo is more or less homogeneous in all the different species. However, Se and V show considerable variations in their concentration. By and large, accumulation of average concentrations suggests that Cu, Cr, Ni and V in plant species is proportional to their (higher) average concentrations in soil. However, the concentration of Co, Zn and Mo is almost the same in both plant and soil samples. In the absence of any specific plant species as higher accumulator of Cr, all the studied plant species could be considered as good accumulators. The 'not so high' level of other metal accumulation in plants could have been due to slightly higher pH (7.5-8.2) range of soils, which normally affect metal uptake.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects:	F Earth Science > Geology
Divisions:	Department of > Earth Science
Depositing User:	LA manjunath user
Date Deposited:	08 Jul 2019 10:45
Last Modified:	18 Sep 2019 06:03
URI:	http://eprints.uni-mysore.ac.in/id/eprint/4909

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