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Iron, nickel, copper, zinc and cadmium content of two cultivars of white yam ( Dioscorea rotundata ) and their source soils
Author(s) -
Bonire Josiah J,
Jalil Neelam N S,
Lori Joseph A
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of the science of food and agriculture
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.782
H-Index - 142
eISSN - 1097-0010
pISSN - 0022-5142
DOI - 10.1002/jsfa.2740570314
Subject(s) - dioscorea rotundata , cadmium , cultivar , zinc , copper , atomic absorption spectroscopy , nickel , chemistry , horticulture , bark (sound) , botany , soil water , agronomy , biology , ecology , physics , organic chemistry , quantum mechanics
The determination by atomic absorption spectroscopy of the iron, nickel, copper, zinc and cadmium content of two cultivars of white yam (Dioscorea rotundata Pair) and their source soil from three farms, and also of random samples of the cultivars from five geographical areas in Kaduna and Plateau states of Nigeria, is reported. The analyses show all the metals except Fe to be in trace amounts in the tissues of both cultivars; the barks contain two to four times more. The iron content was found to be about 20 times higher in the bark than in the tissue. Less than 0.7% of the metals present in the soil could be extracted with NH 4 NO 3 solution. Yam bark, which contains reasonable amounts of the above metals, could be useful as cattle feed. Yam tissue, having a high content of Zn compared with Cd, could be recommended for the diet of hypertensive patients.