Jelena Golijan

Correction to: Bioaccumulation process and health risk assessment of toxic elements in tomato fruit grown under Zn nutrition treatment

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake in the author group, affiliation and funding information sections as well as the omitted acknowledgment section.

Bioaccumulation process and health risk assessment of toxic elements in tomato fruit grown under Zn nutrition treatment

AbstractThe aim of this work was to determine elements composition and bioaccumulation process in ripe tomato fruits influenced by zinc feeding of plants which was applied in three different doses. Macro- and microelement content in growing soil, seeds, and fruits was determined by ICP-OES method. Health risk assessment was calculated according to the presence of some toxic elements. It was found that predominant macroelements were phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium followed by other ten determined elements. The presence of five potentially toxic elements (cadmium, chromium, lead, nickel, and strontium) in seed and fruits was detected. Bioaccumulation differences (especially in case of potassium) for some elements in seed and fruit were established. In both cases, calcium and lead were the only elements with antagonistic effect towards zinc feeding process. Health risk assessment has shown that acute risk is low for all toxic elements (according to acute hazard quotient (HQ) calculation) except for cadmium in fruit seed, where it can be characterized as moderate. Long-term hazard quotient calculation showed moderate risk in the case of lead (fruit skin and seed) and low values for other toxic elements. Since the most part of toxic elements was accumulated in tomato fruit skin and seed, peeling of fruits can significantly reduce health risk. Graphical abstractᅟ

Organic Seed Production in the Republic of Serbia

Summary Over the past few years, organic agricultural production has increased globally. This type of production is regulated by numerous laws and concomitant regulations, whereas the basic principles of organic production development are prescribed by the IFOAM standards and the European Union. Seed production is of immense importance to organic agricultural systems as the use of certified seed is crucial in preserving organic production. Prior to 2009, certified organic seed had not been produced in the Republic of Serbia, and producers had used either landrace seeds or chemically untreated conventional seeds. Of the total area devoted to organic farming in the Republic of Serbia (14,357.96 ha), seed production accounts for only 8.4 ha, with uneven distribution over regions. The highest organic seed production (5.2 ha) has been recorded in the region of Vojvodina. However, there is still a lack of certified organic seed in the country, emphasizing the need for organic seed breeding and production in the future.

Organic Fruit Production in Serbia

Organic fruit production and demands for such a production have been growing in Europe and worldwide. Agroecological conditions in Serbia exceptionally favour the development of organic fruit production, particularly of berries with raspberry varieties ranking first (raspberry from Arilje make up to 30% of the total world production of this species). Areas with organic orchards in our country amount to 2208.05 ha, ranking second, just behind the areas with cereals. The greatest areas with organic orchards are located in the regions of southern and eastern Serbia (1244.22 ha), then in Sumadija and western Serbia (830.61 ha). The Toplica District is a leading district in this most important region with the area of 1152.62 ha. Considering the fact that Serbia provides excellent natural capacities for the production of organic fruit, producers are still underutilizing these available natural resources, which represents a significant challenge for the future improvement of organic fruit production.