10.25750/1995-4301-2014-2-052-056E. A. KarpovaA. A. ErmakovYu. S. ParubetsAssessing phytotoxicity of soil, experimentally contaminated with heavy metalsTheoretical and Applied Ecology2014heavy metalszinccopperpollutiongreen house experimentbiomassbarleyruDataset1In this article the results of a three-years experiment with soddy-podzolic soil polluted with sulfates of zinc and copper at the level of 5 Critical Levels (calculated per an element) are presented. The work aims at assessment of change in time of phytotoxicity of the polluted soil. The soil was polluted in the first year of research before making a vegetative experiment with barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Each time after harvesting plants, the pots with the soil remained under natural conditions and were used during the next vegetative season. Decrease of phytotoxicity of the polluted soil in relation with barley plants during experiment time is shown. Phytotoxicity of the soil was estimated by the amount of the biomass of barley (a tolerance index) and concentration of metals in it. Speed of change (decrease) of phytotoxicity characteristics of the polluted soddy-podzolic clay-loam soil in a 3-year-old experiment was various: biomass > concentration of heavy metals in plants > the content of mobile forms of heavy metals in the soil.