The Chemical Composition and Productivity of Vaccinium myrtillus L. under Influence of Industrial Pollution

The content and distribution of chemical elements (S, Mn, Fe, Zn, Cu, Co, Cr, Ni, Pb and Cd) and phenolic compounds were determined in the above-ground and underground parts of bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), grown on the background and technogenic polluted territories of the Southern Baikal region. Plants and soil were sampled at polluted site situated 0.5-1.0 km from Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill (East Siberia) and at a relatively clean site. It was shown that in background conditions Fe, Ni, Cr, Pb and Cd accumulated in roots of V. myrtillus, Mn and Zn accumulated in stems, S and Co in leaves and Cu in berries. It should be noted, that the absorption intensity of the elements of the V. myrtillus reproductive organs is lower than of the vegetative one. The content of phenolic compounds in bilberries plants decreases in the following order: leaves > stems > berries > roots, and the content of flavonoids in the order leaves > berries > stems > roots. Amount of berries on a shrub varies from 0 to 17 units in the background conditions. The berries productivity was from 11 to 34 g/m2. It was shown, that the berries productivity depends on the number and weight of the berries on the shrub (r = 0.55-0.68, p <0.05). In the site influenced by the industrial emissions of Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill bilberry above-ground parts contained significantly higher concentration of S and significantly lower concentrations of Mn and Zn. Coefficients of biophilic elements accumulation decreased 1.4- 2.0 times, that indicates a violation of their absorption by plant roots. Furthermore, leaves had significantly higher level of total phenolics and flavonoids as compared with bilberry leaves from non-polluted site. Plants of the polluted site had a lower height and amount of berries. The berries productivity was significantly lower (1.1±0.3 g per shrub in the polluted site compared with 2.0±0.5 g per shrub in the background one). At the same time the weight of one berry did not differ between the two sites. Reduction of the shrub morphometric parameters leads to a decrease in their aboveground biomass of an average of 1.5 times, berries productivity (g/m2) decreased 1.7 times