Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 March 2019
52 elements of the periodic system are considered as potentially usable by living organisms. Most of them, as some heavy metals, are required only in trace amounts. If a certain concentration of a given trace element is exceeded in an organism it becomes toxic. Plant analyses are considered in agronomy as a diagnostic tool and as a guide to fertilizer practice as the plant uptake is the best criterion of nutrient and micronutrient availability. But nowadays also toxic metals may be assimilated by plants due to the increasing contamination by inorganic compounds containing these toxic elements. In geosciences plant analyses may be of importance because indicator plants are employed for the geochemical prospection of certain heavy metals.