GENETIC PECULIARITIES OF MACRO AND TRACE ELEMENTS ACCUMULATION BY ROOTS OF CELERY (APIUM GRAVEOLENS L.) AND PARSNIP (PASTINACA SATIVA L.)

Celery and parsnip are highly valuable root vegetables and medical plants all over the world. Beneficial effect of plants on human health is connected not only with high content of biologically active compounds but also with specific levels of minerals reflecting geochemical characteristics of habitat, climate and genetic peculiarities. Using ICP-MS method comparative evaluation of 25 minerals content in roots of celery (Egor and Dobrinya cvs) and parsnip (Krugly, Bely Aist, Zhemchug cvs) was achieved. Similar high levels of all macro-elements except Na and Mg were demonstrated for these crops. Contrary to celery, parsnip contains 89 times lower concentrations of sodium and 1.6 time lower content of Mg. In identical environmental conditions celery significantly exceeds parsnip in accumulation of Fe (1.5 times), Mn (1.7 times). Cr (8.6 times), Se (6 times) and Sr (1.8 times). Consumption of 100 g fresh celery roots in human diet provides 48-61% of Cr daily requirement level, 17% of B, about 10% of Fe and 2030% of adequate consumption level. High levels of Sr in celery roots is beneficial for health of human bones but may be harmful in regions with elevated radioactive pollution.