eng Ecologica volume: 31 number: 115 startpage: 275 endpage: 281 info:eu-repo/semantics/article immortelle, vertisol, basic fertility, heavy metals, microelements Brajević, Snežana Dželetović, Željko Stanimirović, Marko Dimovski, Predrag Simić, Aleksandar Andrejić, Gordana Milanović, Nikola Aleksić, Uroš https://phaidrabg.bg.ac.rs/o:35951 doi:10.18485/ecologica.2024.31.115.4 2024 application/pdf 992564 bytes http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode ABSTRACT The immortelle (lat. Helichrysum italicum Roth G. Don) is a perennial plant of the Asteraceae family that grows spontaneously in Serbia on sandy and dry soils. The dried inflorescences of the immortelle are used as a raw material for medicinal teas, in cosmetics and in the pharmaceutical industry. The growth of H. italicum is strongly influenced by the properties of the initial substrate. The chemical composition of the above-ground parts of the plant depends on the content of certain elements in the soil. In the area of the village of Lešje near Paraćin, Serbia, the immortelle has been grown commercially on Vertisol since 2016. Soil samples and above-ground parts of immortelle, green branches, and leaves, were taken from three plots in 2023. Soil fertility analysis showed that the soil was low in humus, neutral in pH and low in nitrogen and phosphorus, but well supplied with potassium. The content of Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Pb and Zn in the soil was within the maximum permissible values. The only element that showed a slight increase compared to the maximum values was the nickel content. The accumulated concentrations of metals in the plant material were within the usual values for cultivated plants. In the sample of H. italicum growing next to the road, a higher concentration of lead was measured (4 mg kg-1 ). Considering the content of this element in the soil, we assume that the higher concentration in the plant material is anthropogenic (proximity to the road). We found a very strong correlation between the content of Cu and Mn in the soil and the content of phosphorus and potassium in the plant material. A very strong correlation was also found between the Pb content in the soil and the K and Mn content in the plants, as well as a strong correlation with the Cd content in the plants. The chemical composition of Helichrysum italicum grown on vertisol Naučno-stručno Društvo za zaštitu životne sredine Srbije "Ecologica"