Preliminary analysis of the phytotoxicity of sedimentary particulate material of the urban area of ​​Cuenca

This paper reports on the phytotoxicity of Sedimentable Particulate Material (acronym in Spanish: MPS) in the urban area of Cuenca. MPS was collected at three sites in the city of Cuenca applying the method described in the Unified Text of Secondary Environmental Legislation of the Ministry of Environment (acronym in Spanish: TULASMA). The concentration of components in the sedimentable particulates was measured using gravimetric analysis, atomic absorption spectroscopy for heavy metals, and a method adopted from the EPA 300.1 reference for anions. The phytotoxicity of MPS was evaluated in bioassays measuring respectively the germination, and the root and hypocotyl elongation of seeds of the following plants: Lactuca sativa, Brassica oleracea italica, Allium cepa, and Raphanus sativus. In the bioassay seeds were exposed to different dilutions of the aqueous suspension of MPS. Results clearly revealed that the effect is concentration and species dependent, showing different levels of phytotoxicity.