COPPER AND ZINC CONTENT IN SOILS AND PLANTS OF THE CITY OF UZHHOROD

The aim of the study was to investigate the content of copper and zinc in the soils and vegetation of the city of Uzhhorod, as well as to assess potential trends in their accumulation. Sixteen paired soil–plant samples were collected for analysis: four from household garden plots and twelve from roadside strips. Total and mobile forms of copper and zinc were determined in the soil samples, along with their concentrations in plant tissues. The mean total copper content in soils from garden plots was 26.1 mg·kg⁻¹, while that of zinc reached 57.5 mg·kg⁻¹; the corresponding values in roadside soils were higher yet remained substantially below the maximum permissible concentrations. The proportion of mobile copper relative to its total content ranged from 1.7 to 3.3%, whereas for zinc this value reached 5.2–9.7%, indicating a higher mobility of zinc in the soil environment. The mean copper content in plants grown on garden plots was 9.6 mg·kg⁻¹, while plants collected from roadside areas contained 13.3 mg·kg⁻¹, representing a 1.4-fold increase. Zinc concentrations in plant samples exhibited pronounced variability: 9.4–79.8 mg·kg⁻¹ in species collected from garden plots and 23.6–113.2 mg·kg⁻¹ in samples from roadside vegetation. The calculated biological absorption coefficients were generally below 1, indicating moderate metal uptake by plants. Correlation analysis revealed no statistically significant relationships between total or mobile metal forms in soils and their concentrations in plants (|r| < 0.1). Overall, the soils of Uzhhorod can be characterized as uncontaminated, although several localized areas with elevated copper and zinc levels were identified.