EFFECTS OF NICKEL, CHROMIUM AND COBALT ON ALYSSUM MURALE PLANT IN ALBANIAN SERPENTINE AREAS

Serpentines lands are very specific areas to develop the natural flora and also for the plant's cultivation. They are distinguished by e very high content of Ni, Cr and Co and by a very low content of N, P and K. Also they are characterized by a high Mg level and by a low Ca level. Usually these lands are steep and eroded. Flora and fauna developed in the Serpentine areas is unique and an endemic one. Based on this, serpentine plant species have developed some specific mechanisms to tolerate the presence of heavy metals in soil or their accumulation in plants. The purpose of this study is to identify the extended area of Alyssum murale, as an hypperaccumulator plant, the presence of Nickel, Chromium and Cobalt in soil and plants and also the vegetation of serpentine soils in Albania. There are some few other species in spontaneous associations with hyper accumulator plants. Serpentine soils are poor in Ca content and rich in Mg. The report Ca/Mg is reversed in compare with a normal soil and varies from 0.1 to 0: 26. The pH in serpentine soils is also different; it varies from 6.12 to 7.64 or from slightly acid to basic trend. The Co content in soil ranges from 143.14 to 354.32 mg/kg DM; The content of Cr is higher; from 275.65 to 764.32 mg/kg DM and the content of Ni is reaching 1987.32 mg/kg DM. The ratio between Ca and Mg in plants is normal and varies from 1.51 to 4.94. The Co content reaches 689.12 and is lower than the Cr content that reaches more than 2000 mg/kg DM. In the soils with a pH lower than 7, Ni content reaches about 1.9% DM.