Availability of nutrients and potentially toxic elements in hyssop plants grown in sandy soil with mineral and organic fertilization

Abstract

The technologies developed for agricultural production in recent years have faced constant pressure between the increase of production with a sustainable development. Co-products such as swine waste are generally used for soils fertilization. The use of this waste has presented great acceptance by farmers, being used mainly in crops and pastures. However, the inappropriate use of those wastes, results in toxicity for the plant. Nowadays, the scientific study with medicinal plants present itself in constant growth, once that the population demonstrates a tendency for natural or herbal treatments. Consequently, the market for medicinal plants tends to improve their production technologies, looking for higher productions, with high quality and sustainability. The hyssop (Hyssopus officinalis), is a shrub originated from Europe, its leaves, flowers and stems are used as pharmaceutical raw materials, with antifungal, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antitussive and expectorant proprieties, beyond antispasmodic effects. The objective of this study was to determine the levels of minerals and the heavy metals in hyssop plants subjected to different treatments with organic and mineral fertilization on sandy soil. The treatments were arranged in factorial scheme (2x3), in complete randomized design (CRD), with 2 types of fertilizers (organic and mineral) and 3 doses of fertilization (without fertilization, the recommended dose and the double recommended dose), totalizing 6 treatments with 4 replications. The results demonstrate  that in sandy soils, the organic fertilization provides  higher levels of P, Ca and Zn, while cultivation with mineral fertilizer promoted the accumulation of K, Fe and Mn in plant tissue.