Characteristics and Origins of Heavy Metals in Soil and Crops in Mountain Area of Southern Sichuan

Abstract

Excessive heavy metals in soils and crops will affect the human living environment and health. In order to study the enrichment characteristics and causes of heavy metals in soils and crops in a mountainous area of southern Sichuan, 1699 cultivated soil samples, 30 rice seed samples, 31 corn seed samples, 15 tea samples, and 76 crop root soil samples were collected. The enrichment characteristics and origins of heavy metals in the soil were studied using mathematical statistics, principal component analysis, and correlation analysis. The enrichment characteristics of heavy metals in crops and their correlations with root soil were discussed. The results showed that the content of heavy metals in cultivated soil was higher than the national soil background value, and many sampling points exceeded the risk screening value. Among them, 770 points of Cd, 176 points of Cu, 116 points of Cr, and 106 points of Ni exceeded the standard. Combining the factor analysis results, it was found that Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn in cultivated soil mainly originated from the geological background, and Cd was also affected by soil organic matter and pH. Meanwhile, Hg and Pb were mainly related to human activities. The results showed that the contents of heavy metals in the crops were lower than the national standards; the enrichment coefficients of heavy metals in crops were generally small, and were mainly in the following order: tea > rice > corn. The correlation analysis of the heavy metal contents in the root soil and crops showed that there was no significant correlation among them. Thus, the heavy metals in the soil generally had a high content and low activity, which did not affect the quality and safety of the three crops. However, Cu in corn and CaO in root soil, As in corn seed and Fe2O3 in root soil, and Ni in corn seed and Fe2O3 in root soil showed significant correlations, whereas As in rice seed and CaO in root soil and Hg in rice seed and MgO in root soil showed significant correlations, and no significant correlations were found in tea.