Biogeochemical Study on Uranium and other Elements in Banana Plants from the Tummalapalle and Tirupati Areas, Andhra Pradesh and its Implication

Biogeochemical characteristics, primarily involving the interaction of uranium, and certain other associated trace elements, in banana (Musa sapientum), are compared between the uranium mineralized Tummalapalle area in the Cuddapah District and nonmineralized Tirupati area in Andhra Pradesh. For this, multi-element analysis was carried out for Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Co, Cd, Li, Rb, Cs, Sr, Ba, Cr, Ag, and U for ischolar_main, pith, layers, leaf, flower, peduncle, and fruitlets of banana plant. In the Tummalapalle area, uranium is found only in the ischolar_main of the plant whereas it is not detected in any part of the banana plant of Tirupati. Further, the biogeochemical data may be employed to monitor the pollution levels of environment, and nutritional status of an area.