Abstract

In this study, nitrate content in three leafy vegetables namely radish, palak and amaranth were studied after a survey from four different markets at different elevations namely Gangtok of Sikkim State, Kalimpong, Siliguri and Cooch Behar of West Bengal. Average nitrate content of radish leaves (1521.13 mgkg^-1) was found to be maximum at Kalimpong market followed by Gangtok, Siliguri and Cooch Behar markets, whereas average nitrate contents of palak (2971.26 mgkg^-1) and amaranth leaves (1854.96 mgkg^-1) were maximum at Gangtok market followed by Kalimpong, Siliguri and Cooch Behar markets. Among the samples of the three leafy vegetables, nitrate content was higher than the Acceptable Daily Intake (ADI) with an average of 60 kg. If a person consumes 100 g per day in some palak samples collected from all survey markets, this incidence was maximal at Gangtok. Therefore, more care is needed for nitrogen fertilization in palak crop not to exceed the leaf nitrate content over the ADI limit.

Key words: Nitrate concentration, leafy vegetables.