Copper, Chromium, Zinc and Manganese Accumulation in Three Common Brassicaceae on the Romanian Littoral

The natural Cu, Cr, Zn and Mn phytoaccumulation potential was screened for three widespread species, in the Constanta coastal area, Romania: Brassica rapa, Crambe maritima and Lepidium draba. Samples of aboveground organs and soil were taken for each species and analyzed for heavy metal concentration values. The Biological Accumulation Coefficients (BAC) was determined, in order to evaluate the phytoaccumulation potential. None of the three species surpassed the widely-accepted minimal thresholds for Cu, Cr, Zn and Mn hyperaccumulators. The highest average values, such as 42.7 ppm, for Cu (L. draba), 40 ppm, for Cr (Brassica rapa) 147.9 ppm, for Zn (C. maritima) and 26.9 ppm, for Mn (C. maritima) were registered. However, C. maritima and L. draba had BAC above 1 for Cu and Zn (L. draba, also for Cr), while B. rapa had a BAC of 2.75 for Cu and 2.73 for Cr showing a significant potential for metal accumulation.