Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Jan 31;13(3):428.
doi: 10.3390/plants13030428.

Evaluation of the Main Macro-, Micro- and Trace Elements Found in Fallopia japonica Plants and Their Traceability in Its Honey: A Case Study from the Northwestern and Western Part of Romania

Alexandra-Antonia Cucu  1 , Claudia Pașca  1 , Alexandru-Bogdan Cucu  2 , Adela Ramona Moise  1 , Otilia Bobiş  1 , Ștefan Dezsi  3 , Anamaria Blaga Petrean  4 , Daniel Severus Dezmirean  1
Affiliations

Evaluation of the Main Macro-, Micro- and Trace Elements Found in Fallopia japonica Plants and Their Traceability in Its Honey: A Case Study from the Northwestern and Western Part of Romania

Alexandra-Antonia Cucu et al. Plants (Basel). .

Abstract

Fallopia japonica (Japanese knotweed, Reynoutria japonica or Polygonum cuspidatum) is considered an extremely invasive plant worldwide and a bioindicator of heavy metals. Yet, its potential as a crop for honeybees is still underevaluated. This study employs atomic absorption spectrometry to quantitatively analyze the concentration of macro-elements, namely, calcium (Ca), potassium (K) and magnesium (Mg); micro-elements, such as copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and selenium (Se); and trace elements, i.e., cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni) and lead (Pb) in different anatomic parts of Fallopia japonica (FJ) plants (roots, rhizomes, stems, leaves) and their traceability into honey. This research encompasses a thorough examination of samples collected from the northwestern and western part of Romania, providing insights into their elemental composition. The results showed that the level of trace elements decreases in terms of traceability in honey samples (Pb was not detected in any of the analyzed samples, while Cd had a minimum content 0.001 mg/kg), ensuring its quality and health safety for consumption. Moreover, the data generated can function as a valuable resource to explore the plant's positive eco-friendly impacts, particularly in relation to its honey.

Keywords: Fallopia japonica; beekeeping; invasive plant; knotweed honey; minerals; polluted sites; toxic element; trace elements.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The translocation of macro-, micro- and trace elements found in FJ plants to their honey in the three experimental sites.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Location of the experimental sites (QGIS VERSION 3.28.7).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Location of the study sites. (a) Merișor area; (b) Valea Vinului area; (c) Bocsig area. (Source: personal collection of Alexandra-Antonia Cucu).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Park B., Lee I.S., Hyun S.-W., Jo K., Lee T.G., Kim J.S., Kim C.-S. The Protective Effect of Polygonum cuspidatum (PCE) Aqueous Extract in a Dry Eye Model. Nutrients. 2018;10:1550. doi: 10.3390/nu10101550. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Nentwig W., Bacher S., Kumschick S., Pyšek P., Vilà M. More than “100 worst” Alien Species in Europe. Biol. Invasions. 2018;20:1611–1621. doi: 10.1007/s10530-017-1651-6. - DOI
    1. Fennell M., Wade M., Bacon K.L. Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica): An analysis of capacity to cause structural damage (compared to other plants) and typical rhizome extension. PeerJ. 2018;6:e5246. doi: 10.7717/peerj.5246. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Simberloff D., Martin J.-L., Genovesi P., Maris V., Wardle D.A., Aronson J., Courchamp F., Galil B., García-Berthou E., Pascal M., et al. Impacts of biological invasions: What’s what and the way forward. Trends Ecol. Evol. 2013;28:58–66. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2012.07.013. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Pyšek P., Lambdon P.W., Arianoutsou M., Kühn I., Pino J., Winter M. Handbook of Alien Species in Europe. Springer; Berlin/Heidelberg, Germany: 2009. Alien Vascular Plants of Europe; pp. 43–61. - DOI

LinkOut - more resources