An ecological study of Matricaria chamomilla L. var. chamomilla

In this study, the phytoremediation potential and essential element utilization potential of Matricaria chamomilla var. chamomilla species were investigated and the ecological characteristics of the species were determined. The plant and soil samples were collected from the Karaoren road in Aksaray province in April (2023). The research focused on the consantration of the following minerals: Ba, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, S, and Zn in plant and soil samples. ICP-MS was used for plant samples and XRF device was used for soil samples. The obtained data were analyzed statistically by SPSS (version 25). According to the analysis results, while the concentrations of Al, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, and S in the soil were above optimal values, the concentrations of Al, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, and Pb in the plants were within the optimal range. In the stem part of the plant, the concentration of Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn elements was found being below the reference values. But, Cr and Fe concentrations in the plant were determined above reference values. However, the Bioconcentration Factor (BCF) value was low for all elements in the plant and was less than 1. This means that the potential use of this species in phytoremediation is quite limited.