Abstract
Assessment of the content and sources of heavy metals in soils is required to identify agricultural areas affected by contamination on a regional level, according to the European Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection. The total content of Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn of 29 agricultural soils used to grow vegetable crops such as artichoke, broccoli, and potato, in the Segura River Valley, Alicante, Spain, as a representative area of the semiarid Mediterranean region, was determined to assess the current state of heavy metal contamination of agricultural soils. The mean values (mg kg-1) were: Cd, 0.38; Co, 7.9; Cr, 28.3; Cu, 21.6; Fe, 15,274; Mn, 320; Ni, 23.7; Pb, 19.6; and Zn, 57.8. These values followed the sequence: Fe>Mn>Zn>Cr>Ni>Cu>Pb>Co>Cd. Despite intensive production, the soil heavy metal concentrations were equal to, or lower than concentrations determined by others working on Spanish agricultural soils. Nevertheless, some plots had high Cd and Pb concentrations. Based on these results and others from the Spanish Mediterranean region, further studies under semiarid conditions are required to obtain a better knowledge of the pollution levels, especially in the case of anthropogenic metals such as Cd and Pb. This is critical to safeguard the environmental and production functions of these soils and, therefore, their quality. Further, given the importance of vegetables in the Mediterranean diet, it is important to extend the work to other areas of the European Mediterranean region.
Highlights
Knowledge of the heavy metal content of soils, and the origin of these metals, are priority objectives of the European Union (EU)
The intensification of agriculture in Europe encouraged by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has resulted in the incorporation of several types of pollutants to soil, such as heavy metals, due to excess use of agrochemicals (Groom et al, 1995)
Over the last few decades the agricultural soils of the Segura River valley have experienced a transition from traditional to intense agriculture that has been consistent with the whole of the European Mediterranean region (Groom et al, 1995)
Summary
Knowledge of the heavy metal content of soils, and the origin of these metals, are priority objectives of the European Union (EU). The European Commission in 2002 published «Towards a thematic strategy for soil protection» (EC, 2002) that established the basis and guidelines for maintaining or improving soil quality. Different groups have produced reports addressing the state of the soils, impacts and pressures and recommendations for soil protection policy making at the EU level. The report of van-Camp et al (2004) as part of the technical group working on «Contamination and Land Management» established the need to measure soil heavy metal concentrations and to identify contamination processes. The analysis of heavy metal concentrations in agricultural soils is, critical for policy making orientated toward reducing heavy metal inputs to soil and guaranteeing the maintenance or even the improvement in soil quality
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