Heavy Metal Concentrations in Amaranthus dubius (Thellung 19123) Grown on Soil Mixed with Compost Manure in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria

This study investigated the heavy metal concentration in Amaranthus dubius grown on soil mixed with compost manure in Makurdi, Benue State. Two different composts used in this study were produced from rice husk and orange peel, while cow and goat dung were used as soil modifier. Top soil collected from study area was sieved through an array of sieves with different pore sizes which were arranged in descending order. Sand fraction was found to be 90 %, 7 % silt and 3 % clay. The compost, drained water and Amaranthus dubius plant were analyzed for the presence and concentration of heavy metal content using Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer. The data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis ANOVA. The mean concentrations of heavy metals in Rice husk and Orange peel compost showed that Cadmium (0.017), Iron (9.867), Lead (0.228) mg/l were significantly different at 5% level of probability. The analysis of variance from the mean concentration of heavy metals in Amaranthus dubius and water drained showed that Cadmium, Iron, Lead and Zinc were statistically significant at 1% level of probability. The heavy metal concentration: Cadmium (0.042), Iron (3.25), Lead 0.449(), Zinc (0.811) mg/l in Amaranthus dubius treated with orange peels and rice husk compost are higher than the permissive limit which portend public health challenge.