Conventional methods that assessed the mercury
(Hg) levels were not only an outcome of atmospheric
pollution, but also the possibility of Hg contamination from
the sample collection to laboratory analyses. Our studies
used the direct mercury analyzer that measured Hg rapidly
and precisely at ultra-trace concentrations with detection
limit of 0.0015 ng g
-1 on six favored desert plants and
their surrounding soil in Kuwait. Analysis revealed elevated
Hg concentrations in
Tamarix chinensis
Lour., and
Salsola imbricate Forssk., among the chosen desert plants,
especially during summer than in winter, thus labeling the
qualities of a bio-indicator to Hg pollution. The overall
parts-wise analysis on the six selected plants showed the
elevated mean Hg concentrations in the leaves
(0.89 ng g
-1) followed by root (0.51 ng g
-1) and stem
(0.39 ng g
-1) in the desert plants. Reasons attribute to the
capability of these plant parts to absorb, accumulate, and
assimilate Hg at varying concentrations. The overall mean
Hg concentration was high in soil (2.24 ng g
-1) in comparison
with the mean Hg concentrations in the desert
plants (0.60 ng g
-1) irrespective of the two seasons.
Translocation and bioaccumulation factors indicated low
uptake of Hg translocation in the plant parts from the soil.
Furthermore, the mean Hg concentration was found high in
samples collected from Governorates (GIII) in comparison
with the samples collected from other Governorates indicating
the effect of pollution from various sources. The
present study characterizes the selected plants as bio-indicators
and also validates the impact of regional and
seasonal variations to Hg pollution at ultra-trace levels in
the arid ecosystem.
