Field experiment was conducted to compare and investigate the concentration levels of heavy metals in leafy vegetables with growth stage and plant species variations on an experimental field near the net house of Soil Science Division, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Joydebpur, Gazipur, Bangladesh during November 2008 to January 2009. Seeds of spinach (Spinacia oleracea), red amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor) and amaranth (Amaranthus oleraseus) were sown on 14 November 2008. Plant and soil samples were collected at different growth stages, such as at 20, 30, 40, and 50 days after sowing (DAS). The concentrations of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and chromium (Cr) in plant increased with the age of the plant, but the increase was not linear. The rate of increase of concentration of these metals at 20 to 30 DAS was found lower than that at 30 to 40 DAS, except Cr. Heavy metal content gradually increased at the early growing stage and fall during later stages of growth. The significant differences (P < 0.01) were observed between the mean metal concentrations in the three vegetables species. The Pb and Co concentrations in amaranth were found higher compared to those found in spinach and red amaranth. Spinach exhibited higher levels of Cd and Cr than those of other vegetables. However, the three vegetables did not differ significantly in its Ni concentration. The order of heavy metal level in different vegetables was Cd

Levels of lead, cadmium, and nickel in roadside soils and vegetables along a major highway in Gazipur, Bangladesh were investigated. Soil samples were collected at distances of 0, 50, 100, and 1000 m (meter) from the road. The concentrations of lead (Pb) and nickel (Ni) in soil and vegetables (bottle gourd and pumpkin) decreased with distance from the road, indicating their relation to traffic and automotive emissions. The concentration of cadmium (Cd) was found to be independent of distance from road. There were significant differences in the concentrations of lead, cadmium, and nickel for different plant species and soils at various distances. The heavy metals contents both in the soils and vegetables for every distance from the road was found in the order nickel>lead>cadmium.

Field survey based laboratory studies were carried out to investigate trace elements contents in soils and vegetables collected from industrially polluted and non-polluted areas. The content of four trace elements, such as manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) in four popular vegetables, namely spinach (Spinacia oleracea), red amaranth (Amaranthus tricolor), bottle gourd (Lagenaria vulgaris), and pumpkin (Cucurbita moschata) and the rizosphere soils of the respective crops were collected from three locations viz. i) directly polluted (Kaliakoir, Konabari, Gazipur), ii) indirectly polluted (Zorun, Konabari, Gazipur), and iii) non-polluted (BARI, Gazipur) areas. In all four vegetables, a similar trend in metal contents was observed i.e. directly polluted>indirectly polluted>non-polluted. The Mn and Fe concentrations were found in the order of spinach>red amaranth>bottle gourd>pumpkin, whereas it was little bit irregular pattern for Zn. The Cu concentration was higher in spinach followed by red amaranth and the least in bottle gourd irrespective of the location. Mean concentration of Mn, Fe, and Cu in vegetables from investigated areas were below the recommended level except Zn. However, the higher concentrations of Mn, Fe, Cu, and Zn in the polluted (either directly or indirectly) area indicates that industrial activities, such as discharge their wastes and effluents into the natural ecosystems in most cases without any treatment, thus causing health hazard as well as environmental pollution, especially with heavy metals and organic toxic. Bangladesh J. Agril. Res. 37(3): 515-527, September 2012 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjar.v37i3.12128

On the literature review, same day surgery cancellations and patient satisfaction should be included in the National Health Assessment System created by the Portuguese Healthcare Regulation Authority.

RESUMO O ácaro rajado Tetranychus urticae é considerado um dos ácaros de maior importância por atacar várias culturas. O objetivo desse trabalho foi verificar, em casa de vegetação, a ação acaricida de alguns extratos vegetais sobre população de T. urticae, infestando plantas de feijão. Cada parcela constou de 5 plantas de feijão com 07-10 folhas previamente infestadas com 5 fêmeas de T. urticae cada. As espécies vegetais utilizadas foram Allamanda cathartica, Dieffenbachia brasiliensis, Pennisetum purpureum, Annona squamosa, Ruta graveolens, Sonchus oleraceus, Spondias purpurea, Codiaeum variegatum, Impatiens walleriana, Stryphnodendron barbatiman, Solanum melongena, Agave angustifolia e Allium cepa. O material vegetal coletado foi seco em estufa a 40º C e posteriormente moído e o pó resultante submetido à extração com água destilada por 14h e em seguida, filtrado. Os resíduos filtrados foram utilizados nos testes após um período de 30-45 dias da infestação, sendo aplicados sobre as plantas infestadas, na dose de 100 mL de extrato/L de água, empregando-se um pulverizador costal de 5 L. Previamente e após 7 dias do tratamento, foi avaliado o número de ácaros vivos (formas móveis), em uma área de 1 cm2 em 10 folhas de cada parcela. Os extratos aquosos de D. brasiliensis, R. graveolens, A. cepa, A. angustifolia e A. squamosa promoveram redução significativa da população de T. urticae, apresentando 86,87%, 83,95%, 80,97%, 76,30 e 75,40% de eficiência, respectivamente.