Origin and Spatial Distribution of Cadmio in Farms Cacaoteras in the Province of Manabí, Ecuador

Abstract

Thecultivation of cocoa is of great economic importance to many producing countries Chocolates and other by-products are made from cocoa beans, but their marketing is threatened by the presence of heavy metals. In the present study, the cadmium (Cd) content of soils and its presence in cocoa beans in the province of Manabí in Ecuador were evaluated. A total of 181 cocoa farms were selected soil samples, irrigation water, organic fertilizer, leaves and almonds were analyzed to determine the origin, content and spatial distribution of Cd. For the extraction and determination of the Cd, the standards 3050B USEPA and 6010C were used by means of spectrometry by ICP-OES ICAP   respectively.   The   data   were   analyzed   by   descriptive   statistics   and   Pearson correlation using SAS/STAT version 9.4.The results showthe presence of Cd in analyzed parts presenting the following order:  Leaf Cd > Almond Cd > Cd soil. Cd content presented positive correlation for organic matter, N, P, K, Mn, Zn; leaf and almond Cd content   presented   positive   correlation   for   bulk   density, clay, field capacity, permanent wilt point, Mg, CIC and Ca respectively.