PHYTOREMEDIATION ABILITY OF EGGPLANT (Solanum melongena) AND

TOMATO (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) IN ARTIFICIALLY MERCURY-

CONTAMINATED SOIL

A Concept Paper Presented to the Science Department of Senior High School Faculty

of the Makati Science High School

In Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for

Capstone Research

By

Julius Caezar C. Chavez

Jovie Rose M. Gumboc

Ma. Elena G. Villaraiz

2017
 Introduction

Back in 2010 when the Department of Education (DepEd) issued the DepEd Order No.
24, s. 2010, also known as the Basic Education Research Fund (BERF), the DepEd has been
successful in providing research funds to qualified researchers through grants. According to the
DepEd Order No. 43, s. 2015, also known as the Revised Guideline for the Basic Education
Research Fund, funds used comes from the Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 General Appropriations Act-
Basic Education Research Fund (GAA-BERF).
Meanwhile, the City Government of Makati, being a center of educational and scientific
researchers, has also been allotting financial support for both students and teachers. The Makati
Science High School (MSHS), along with other schools in Makati, continues to uphold and
utilize the culture of basic education research.
Here in the Philippines, pollution can be seen everywhere. From water pollution to air,
land and even noise, truly it can be said that pollution is prevalent in our country. Different cases
of heavy metal pollution have been reported across the country. For example, in Laguna de Bay,
located in the province of Laguna, news reported by TheInquirer.net established that the said
body of water is dying and all organisms living there are greatly affected. Because of this, we
would like to address this by determining the phytoremediation ability of eggplant (Solanum
melongena) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) in artificially mercury-contaminated
soil.

Statement of the Problem

Environmental pollution from increasing industrial activities has become one of the
severe global problems of modern times. One of the major environmental pollution caused by
various productions from industries is heavy metals contamination in the air and soil (Gaur &
Adholeya, 2004). Heavy metals are poisonous to almost all living organisms, but many
organisms have tried to survive using different mechanisms possible (Scheller et.al, 1987). And
with the heavy rise of technology and demand in buildings and infrastructures, heavy metals
pose a big risk to living organisms that it may affect.
Although living organisms can tolerate numerous ranges of heavy metals, still at
excessive levels several body systems of organism could be damaged (Chronopoulos et al.,
1997). Because of this hazardous nature of heavy metals to human health, monitoring of the
environmental burden of heavy metals is an important ecological interest (Onianwa & Ajayi,
2002; Peng et al., 2006).
This problem will continue to escalate in the future if not addressed immediately. In this
regard, the proposed research project will determine whether it would be possible to use eggplant
(Solanum melongena) and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) as phytoremediants in soils
contaminated with mercury, a heavy metal.
 Project Description

The proposed research project will be organized into two phases, namely, the Collection
and Experimental Phase and the Analysis and Reporting Phase as illustrated below:

Altogether, this study needs a series of procedures, and some of it require specialized
equipment and expertise. First, the project will involve the collection of the plant to be used
which is eggplant. Proper soil will also be collected. Next, the contaminant mercury to be used
will be measured accurately and is to be put to the soil. The eggplant seeds will then be planted
into the two types of soil used (uncontaminated and contaminated). After a couple of months, it
will be harvested and be dried in an oven.

After all of these, the plant will be examined and analyzed using graphite furnace atomic
absorption spectrophotometry (Shimadzu AA-6300) to check the concentration absorbed.
Collected data will then be analyzed using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD). Two-
way ANOVA was then used to differentiate between the heavy metal concentrations among the
plants. The results of this study will add information to the existing data about phytoremediation
on the plant used and heavy metal pollution here in the Philippines.

Methodology

Experimental Materials and Procedures

The soil to be used in this study will be coming from an agricultural farm in Calimbahin
Farm Bayan Luma III, Imus, Cavite, Philippines. Using a spade, approximately up to 15 cm deep
was taken from the surface (A horizon) and was prepared by carefully removing the overlying
layers. Fifty-four plastic pots (28 x 28 x 46 cm) were prepared, six each will contain soil with
low-level metal contamination (25 mg/L Hg as HgCl2), and another six will contain high-level
metal contamination (100 mg/L Hg) (Andal, 2014).

Plant Cultivation and Harvest

Eggplant and tomato seeds will be germinated in trays filled with farm soil. The trays will
be kept under greenhouse conditions with all agricultural managements required for the
production of eggplant and tomato seedlings as usually recommended till germination (Gad et al.
2007). At three-leaf stage, seedlings with uniform stem thickness will be transplanted into the
potted soil contaminated with low and high levels of metals. When the eggplants and tomato will
be ready for the harvesting stage, its final height will be measured, and the amount of heavy
metal will be analyzed and determined in its leaves, stem, roots, and fruits.

Drying of Plant Samples

Plant samples will be dried in the oven at 100C for 40-60 minutes and will be put into
the furnace at 450C for another 60-90 minutes until ash appear (Angelova et al. 2004; Ching et
al. 2008). Soil samples will also be dried in the oven for 60-90 minutes at 100-105C. Soil
samples were also oven dried for 60-90 min at 100-105C. A representative sample was taken by
quartering technique and ground to pass a 60-mesh sieve. About 0. 5 g of the sample was
weighed into the porcelain crucible and ignited at 450C in a furnace to destroy the organic
matter (Mitra 2003; Ching et al. 2008).

Data Gathering and Statistical Analysis

After 105 days from transplanting (harvesting stage) of growing eggplant and tomato in
contaminated soils, plants aliquots and soil solution were taken for the concentration analysis of
the heavy metal mercury using graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrophotometry
(Shimadzu AA-6300) at the Chemistry Research Center of De La Salle University, Taft
Avenue, Manila. Each degree of heavy metal concentrations of plant samples in different
treatments were measured using bioconcentration factors (BCF). The BCF for the four metals in
the test plants were calculated by dividing their concentrations into the different parts of the
harvested plant by the total available amounts in the soils (Wang et al. 2002).
Randomized complete block design (RCBD) was employed in this experimental research
which is set up in triplicate. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to assess the
significant difference in the heavy metal concentrations among different treatments and different
organs of eggplant and tomato. If there was a significant difference, Tukey test method (the pair-
wise comparison test) was used as a post statistical treatment of data to identify pair-wise
differences at 0. 5 significance levels.
 Support Needed and Costs

Eggplant and Tomato Seeds 500.00

Transportation 2,500.00
Meals 1,000.00
TOTAL

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