Major and Trace Element Content of Heracleum sosnowskyi Manden., An Invasive Species in the Leningrad Region, Russia

Introduced to Europe in the early 20th century as an ornamental plant and to European Russia in the mid-20th century as a promising forage plant, Heracleum sosnowskyi Manden. (Sosnowsky’s hogweed, or giant hogweed; family Apiaceae or Umbelliferae), a common invasive species in the Leningrad Region (Vyborg District; 60.392455, 29.794482). In the 1950s, the Leningrad Region became the site of some of the first hogweed forage crops in the Soviet Union. Today, hogweed has spread across vast areas of this region, posing a threat to both human populations and agricultural lands. For the first time, a study was conducted using neutron activation analysis (NAA). This analytical method allowed the determination of 32 elements, including major and trace elements (Na, Mg, Al, Cl, K, Ca, Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Zn, As, Se, Br, Rb, Sr, Mo, Sb, Cs, Ba, La, Ce, Sm, Tb, Hf, Ta, Th, and U). It was shown that many toxic elements not only do not accumulate but are present in lower concentrations than in the soil in which the plants grow.