The Uptake of Lead by Maize Grown on Selected Agricultural Areas of Kaduna Metropolis, Nigeria

The research was carried out to determine the uptake of the metal by maize from soil samples of Kaduna, Nigeria. The lead concentrations of the maize and soil samples were determined using Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (FAAS). The soil samples related to the maize were digested and extracted using different digestion and extraction reagents. The results indicated that the soil samples collected from various locations contain varying amounts of Lead and was distributed between residual, Oxide and carbonate/organic fractions. The result of the study also showed that in all the sample locations, the Pb contained in the soil was below the tolerable limit of 200 mg/kg and the ANOVA (p = 0.000<0.05) showed a significant difference in both the Lead concentrations across the various maize crops and across the various maize grown soils.