Article Abstract

Volume 33, No. (2), 2023 (April)
HEAVY METAL CONCENTRATIONS OF COPPER AND NICKEL IN PERI-URBAN VEGETABLE AGRO-ECOSYSTEM OF MULTAN, PAKISTAN
H. Afzal, M. Ali, A. Sajjad, F. Nawaz and S. Saeed

H. Afzal, M. Ali, A. Sajjad, F. Nawaz and S. Saeed

1Institute of Plant Protection, MNS University of Agriculture Multan, Pakistan

2Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Pakistan

3Department of Agronomy, MNS-University of Agriculture Multan, Pakistan

Corresponding Author: ali@mnsuam.edu.pk
Page Number(s): 296-302
Published Online First: December 18, 2022
Publication Date: March 24, 2023
ABSTRACT

Industrialization and urbanization are the major contributors of heavy metal accumulation in soil and vegetables grown under peri-urban agro-ecosystems in Pakistan where farmers usually mix sewage waste water with irrigation water. However, the heavy metal accumulation among different functional groups of insects (i.e. pollinators, pests and predators) largely remains unknown under peri-urban agro-ecosystems. Therefore current study was planned to evaluate the accumulation of copper and nickel heavy metals in insect pollinators, predators and pests on luffa gourd grown in three peri-urban areas of Multan i.e. Soraj Miani,,Vehari Chowk and Rangeelpur. Source of irrigation at Soraj Miani was industrial and household sewage water while it was only household sewage water at other two locations. From each of the location, samples of three insect groups (Apis dorsataChrysoperla carnea and Spodoptera litura) were collected along with samples of water, plant, and soil. These samples were analyzed using the atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) in order to quantify the accumulation of copper and nickel heavy metals. It was found that residues of copper and nickel metals were present in samples of soil (0.75 Cu, 0.57 Ni μg/g), water (0.10 Cu, 0.14 Ni μg/g), plants (0.13 Cu, 0.19 Ni μg/g) and insect pest (0.15 Cu, 0.15 Ni μg/g) up to varying extent. Therefore, heavy metals can pose serious threat to ecosystem services of pollination and predation in per-urban agro-ecosystem. Future studies should further investigate the impact of heavy metals on other important pollinators and predators in sewage waste water irrigated agro-ecosystems

Keywords: ecosystem services; insect pests; pollinators; predators; vegetables
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Cite Score: 1.3

JCR Year: 2025

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SCOPUS (Q3)

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Journal Impact Factor: 0.5

HEC Category: W

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Print ISSN: 1018-7081

Electronic ISSN: 2309-8694

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