Essential and non-essential heavy metal constituents of german chamomile: Effect of different farming systems

Two different experiments were conducted with German chamomile grown according to conventional and organic farming systems. Flower (drug) and shoot yields were determined, and their essential (Fe, Zn, Mn and Cu) and non-essential heavy metal (Pb, Ni, Co, Cr and Cd) contents were measured and the results were compared according to treatments: control-without treatment to fertilization, 15:15:15 + ammonium nitrate (AN) + potassium sulfate (KS), monopotassium sulfate (MKP) + AN + KS, control + farmyard manure (FYM) + sulphur (S), bone meal (BM) + zeolite (Z) + FYM + S, rock phosphate (RP) + Z + FYM + S. It can be concluded that the yield responses of chamomile in 15:15:15 treatment of the conventional and BM (bone meal) + Z (zeolite) treatment of the organic experimentation were significant. All of these findings showed that there is not a significant metal accumulation risk for chamomile cultivated either according to the conventional farming system or to the standards of organic farming because all of the studied essential and non-essential metals are generally low or very slightly over the acceptable limits