University “St.Kliment Ohridski”-Bitola, Scientific Tobacco Institute-Prilep,

Republic of Macedonia e-mail: vpelivanoska@yahoo.com.

Concentration of metals in soils is associated with biological and geochemical cycles as well

as with the anthropogenic influence, such as agricultural and industrial activities, transport, and waste management. Tobacco can easily accumulate heavy metals in leaves. The objectives of this study were to determine Cu and Zn concentrations in tobacco leaves produced in different growing areas in Macedonia as well as to determine the most important soil parameters (chemical and physical), which influence the concentration of the above-mentioned metals in Oriental tobacco leaves. The concentration of heavy metals in tobacco is influenced by many factors, such as: soil type, reaction pH, stalk position, application of metal containing pesticides, soil treatment, fertilization and priming. For that purpose, 50 soil samples were taken from different locations in Macedonia, i.e. family farms that grow Oriental tobacco. A correlation was made between soil parameters and concentration of Cu and Zn in the lower, middle and upper primings of tobacco stalk. The study showed a strong correlation between concentrations of the two investigated metals in these three primings. It also showed that the accumulation of these metals in tobacco leaves was not influenced by their content in soil. The Cu and Zn concentrations in the investigated soils and in tobacco were below permissible limit.