CONCENTRATION OF HEAVY ELEMENTS IN CULTIVATED AND UNCULTIVATED SOIL OF BASRAH, IRAQ

This study sought to estimate the heavy elements, lead, iron, zinc, manganese, cadmium, and copper in cultivated and uncultivated soils of Basrah, Iraq. Results showed that the concentration of elements in all locations was within permissible limits on surface layers, which were higher in concentration than in deep layers due to the elements' internal transport, natural, some physical and chemical properties, i.e., pH, electrical conductivity (EC), and organic matter (OM). The soil acidity ranged between 7.70-7.25 and 7.88-7.25 for cultivated and uncultivated soils, respectively. As for the electrical conductivity, it has a range between 2.70-10.16 and 3.13-23 dS.m(-1) Organic matter extended between 0.269-1.500 and 0.349-0.816. The elements in cultivated soils were lesser than in the uncultivated grounds. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) results at the 5% significance level showed no remarkable differences in the concentration of the studied elements, while significant variations appeared in the copper content.