Abstract
Understanding the transfer of contaminants from soil to plants, especially agricultural products, is essential in environmental science, particularly in the context of risk assessment and the development of sustainable agricultural practices. The estimation of transfer factors (TFs) (Singh et al., 2011), which quantify the uptake of elements or pollutants by plants from the surrounding soil, serves as a crucial parameter in evaluating potential ecological and human health risks, as these elements could enter the food chain (Ozhovan and Kremenetskiy, 2018). For this study, the Transfer Factors soil-to-plant were estimated using the bioavailable concentrations (Guarino et al., 2022) of Potentially Toxic Elements (PTEs) identified by Italian law (D.lgs. 152/2006) in the agricultural soils and the elemental concentration in the primary agricultural products (PAP). These latter are freshly harvested fruits and vegetables, which retain their integrity and freshness as they have not undergone significant processing, collected across the entire region through the Campania Trasparente project (www.campaniatrasparente.it). The aim of this study was to compare various Transfer Factors (TFs) among the most numerous vegetal species and potentially highlight different behaviours. A robust multivariate statistical approach, such as Robust Principal Component Analysis (RPCA) was applied to the TFs, and a multiple regression, using the stepwise method, was performed, with Principal Components as dependent variables and soil physical parameters (grain size, organic matter, pH, cation exchange capacity, salinity, electrical conductivity) as independent variables. Our findings reveal distinct patterns in the soil-to-plant transfer factors for various elements, emphasizing the role of soil properties, plant species, and environmental conditions. Results reveal that, within the Campania region, the highest TFs for the most vegetal species are associated with Zn and Cu. Specifically, RPCA indicates a positive correlation between Zn and Co TFs. In the end, the multiple regression analysis highlights that clay presence and cation exchange capacity are the primary soil physical factors influencing TFs across different plant species. This integrated approach could provide a comprehensive understanding of soil-plant transfer processes and the impact of soil physical parameters on TFs in regional cultivations. The study helps better understand the impact of soil physical parameters, such as cation exchange capacity (CEC), grain size, organic matter, etc., on vegetal species growth. It can lead to well-informed decisions regarding crop selection, fertilizer application, irrigation, and other factors.
Published Version
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