Intensity of biological accumulation of microelements (zinc and copper) plants of Echinacea purpurea L. under conditions of Western Siberia

Relevance. To compensate for the lack of nutrient reserves available for plants, the introduction of macro and micronutrient fertilizers is required. Since microelements have the ability to migrate in the soil – plant system, it is necessary not only to control their content in these systems, but also to determine the biological accumulation of plants, including medicinal ones, taking into account specific zonal features of the territory. Thus, the aim of the work was to study the intensity of the biological accumulation of zinc and copper by Echinacea purpurea in Western Siberia.Materials and methods. Field experiments were conducted in the period 2016-2018 on meadow  chernozem soil of the southern forest-steppe of the Omsk region. A valuable medicinal crop, Echinacea purpurea, was chosen as the object of study. Copper and zinc fertilizers in acetate forms were applied in the background (N125). In soil and plant samples, the content of mobile forms of Zn and Cu was determined by the atomic absorption method.Results. With the addition of zinc and copper fertilizers, the content of mobile forms of Zn and Cu in the soil increased in comparison with the control and background. At the same time, the use of micronutrient fertilizers did not lead to excess MPC. The zinc content in the medicinal raw material of Echinacea purpurea during the application of micronutrient fertilizers varied from 9.9 to 17.1 mg / kg; copper from 2.09 to 4.41 mg / kg. In the test cases, when applying zinc fertilizers, the concentration coefficients (Kk) of zinc in the soil were higher compared to plants (Kk soil > Kk plant). The reverse situation is the accumulation of copper by plants. KkCuwhen applying copper and zinc fertilizers in plants is higher than in the soil: Kk plant > Kk soil. To assess the intensity of the absorption of trace elements by Echinacea purpurea, biological absorption coefficients (СBAZn, Cu) were used, which showed that this culture is a concentrator of zinc and copper, since CBA > 1. Moreover, copper in plants of Echinacea purpurea accumulates more vigorously (CBA > 10), compared to zinc. The content of microelements in the medicinal raw material of Echinacea did not exceed MDU (Cu - 30 mg / kg, Zn – 50 mg / kg).