Pollution Research Paper

MODELLING THE UPTAKE OF ZINC BY WATER SPINACH (IPOMOEA REPTANS (L.) POIR) USING A NON-LINEAR REGRESSION MODEL

KHAIRIAH JUSOH, RAFIZAH RAJALI, TEE PEI GIM, NAGESWARAN MUNIANDY, AHMAD MAHIR RAZALI AND B.S. ISMAIL

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to model the uptake of zinc (Zn) by water spinach (Ipomoea reptans (L.) Poir), known locally as Kangkung, from an agricultural site at Agrotek Sepang, Selangor. Useful information was obtained by analyzing the root, stem and leaf of Ipomoea reptans (L.) Poir for Zn contamination. The data was modeled to linear and non-linear regression. The least square method was used to estimate the parameters of the model and then the best model for each plant part was determined using the SAS procedure. Descriptive statistics were also used to further explain the nature of the data. Finally, a conclusion was drawn based on statistical inference.