PERFORMANCE OF AMARANTHUS SPP (Amaranthus retroflexus) AND CUCUMBER (Cucumis sativus) IN HEAVY METAL CONTAMINATED SOILS

This study evaluated the growth performance, yield, and heavy-metal accumulation in the edible tissues of green amaranth (Amaranthus retroflexus) and cucumber (Cucumis sativus) cultivated in soils collected from a sewage-polluted area and a spent oil-polluted area (mechanic village), and forest topsoil from a botanical garden was used as the control. A Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with four replications was used for the experiment. Green amaranth seedlings were transplanted into polytene bags containing 2 kg sewage-polluted, spent oil-polluted, and forest topsoil, all replicated four times, and the same was done for cucumber. Morphological growth indices such as plant height (cm), stem girth (cm), and number of leaves/plant were measured weekly for eight weeks. Yield data, such as the number of fruits/plant, fruit weight/plant (g), fruit length, and fruit circumference, were measured at harvest. The heavy metal contents of the edible portions of the green amaranth and cucumber were determined at harvest. Results showed that soil source significantly influenced growth and yield parameters, with vegetables grown in sewage-polluted soil performing better than those grown in spent oil-polluted soil. Heavy-metal analysis revealed higher concentrations of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and copper (Cu) in the edible tissues of the plants grown in the mechanic village soil than those grown in the sewage-polluted soil, with the green amaranth tissues recording higher heavy metal accumulation than the cucumber tissues. These results suggest that vegetable cultivation on contaminated soils compromises crop growth, yield, and human safety. The study recommends avoiding vegetable production in such hotspots without implementing adequate soil remediation strategies and strengthening farmers’ awareness to mitigate health risks.