Spatial distribution and ecological risk assessment of soil heavy metals in a typical volcanic area: Influence of parent materials

Taking Shouguang Facility agriculture in Weifang City as the research object, heavy metals and other pollutants in new and old facility agriculture soil were investigated and analyzed from 2017 to 2019. The content of heavy metals in soil was analyzed, and the environmental quality of heavy metals was evaluated by single-factor pollution index method and Nemerow index method. The correlation between heavy metal content in surface soil and cultivation years, vertical distribution of heavy metal content in soil, frequency distribution of heavy metal in surface soil, and correlation between heavy metals in surface soil and soil nutrients were analyzed. The results showed that the average contents of the eight heavy metals were Cd 0.23 mg•kg−1, Hg 0.05 mg•kg−1, As 8.09 mg•kg−1, Pb 23.31 mg•kg−1, Cr 70.81 mg•kg−1, Cu 38.54 mg•kg−1, Ni 25.87 mg•kg−1 and Zn 147.52 mg•kg−1. Aside from Pb and Ni, the average content of all other heavy metals in the surface soil of facility agriculture was higher than the average of the control and the geochemical background level of soil in Weifang. Compared with the Environmental Quality Evaluation Standard for Farmland of Greenhouse Vegetables Production (HJ333-2006) and the Soil Environmental Quality Risk Control Standard for Soil Contamination of Agricultural Land (trial) (GB15618-2018), the average content of heavy metals met the standards, with Cd, Hg and Zn content in some samples exceeding the standards. Most surface soil environmental quality is clean or relatively clean, but there is also part of the soil has reached the level of mild or moderate pollution. The content of heavy metals in the soil of the old facility agriculture (cultivation years > 10) was higher than that of the new facility agriculture (cultivation years ≤ 10), and the content of heavy metals in the surface soil (0∼20cm) was higher than that in the deep soil. The quality distribution of heavy metals in the surface soil is affected by exogenous heavy metals, among which Hg and Cd have the largest skewness coefficient and are most affected by exogenous. There was significant positive correlation between heavy metals in surface soil and available phosphorus, hydrolytic nitrogen, available potassium and organic matter. The results indicated that the accumulation of heavy metals in soil was related to the application of organic fertilizer, phosphate fertilizer and compound fertilizer.

BackgroundThe accumulation of heavy metals in surface soil raises significant environmental and public health concerns around the world. This study aimed to examine the relationship between exposure to heavy metals in surface soil and the risk of pain among residents.MethodsUsing national data on eight heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel and zinc) in China's surface soil and a population cohort from 2011 to 2018, we analyzed pain occurrences in various body locations. Logistic regression models were used to assess the association between exposure to heavy metal in soil and pain, as adjusting for gender, age, education level, body mass index, living region, and lifestyle. The study included 13,178 individuals.ResultsHigher exposure to soil arsenic was found to be associated with increased risk of shoulders [adjusted odds ratio (99.99% CI), 1.49 (1.01, 2.19)], wrists [1.68 (1.06, 2.64)] and ankles pain [1.58 (1.01, 2.50)]. No association was found between the remaining seven heavy metals and different types of body pain.ConclusionOur results indicate that higher soil arsenic exposure is associated with an increased risk of pain in specific body regions. This study is the first examining the associations between multiple heavy metals in surface soil and the risks of pain in different body sites. Our findings provide new insights into the health risks of soil heavy metal exposure.

Dayu County, a major tungsten producer in China, experiences severe heavy metal pollution. This study evaluated the pollution status, the accumulation characteristics in paddy rice, and the potential ecological risks of heavy metals in agricutural soils near tungsten mining areas of Dayu County. Furthermore, the impacts of soil properties on the accumulation of heavy metals in soil were explored. The geo-accumulation index (Igeo), the contamination factor (CF), and the pollution load index (PLI) were used to evaluate the pollution status of metals (As, Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb, Mo, W, and Zn) in soils. The ecological risk factor (RI) was used to assess the potential ecological risks of heavy metals in soil. The health risks and accumulation of heavy metals in paddy rice were evaluated using the health risk index and the translocation factor (TF), respectively. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to discuss the influence of soil factors on heavy metal contents in soil. The concentrations of metals exceeded the respective average background values for soils (As: 10.4, Cd: 0.10, Cu: 20.8, Cr: 48.0, Pb: 32.1, Mo: 0.30, W: 4.93, Zn: 69.0, mg/kg). The levels of As, Cd, Mo, and tungsten(W) exceeded the risk screening values for Chinese agricultural soil contamination and the Dutch standard. The mean concentrations of the eight tested heavy metals followed the order FJ-S > QL > FJ-N > HL > CJ-E > CJ-W, with a significant distribution throughout the Zhangjiang River basin. Heavy metals, especially Cd, were enriched in paddy rice. The Igeo and CF assessment indicated that the soil was moderately to heavily polluted by Mo, W and Cd, and the PLI assessment indicated the the sites of FJ-S and QL were extremely severely polluted due to the contribution of Cd, Mo and W. The RI results indicated that Cd posed the highest risk near tungsten mining areas. The non-carcinogenic and total carcinogenic risks were above the threshold values (non-carcinogenic risk by HQ > 1, carcinogenic risks by CR > 1 × 10-4 a-1) for As and Cd. Correlation analysis indicated that K2O, Na2O, and CaO are main factors affecting the accumulation and migration of heavy metals in soils and plants. Our findings reveal significant contamination of soils and crops with heavy metals, especially Cd, Mo, and W, near mining areas, highlighting serious health risks. This emphasizes the need for immediate remedial actions and the implementation of stringent environmental policies to safeguard health and the environment.

In order to reveal the pollution characteristics and sources of heavy metals in surface soil of the region around the Qinghai Lake in Tibet Plateau, improve the prevention awareness and measures of local residents and urge the local government to implement necessary prevention and control measures, nine heavy metals (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) in the surface soil samples of the region around the Qinghai Lake have been collected and analyzed. The methods such as statistic method, geo-accumulation index method, Nemerow index method, potential ecological risk index method, human health risk evaluation method and positive matrix factor analysis model (PMF) have been used to evaluate pollution characteristics and potential risks and analyze the sources of heavy metals. The results are shown below. First, the average contents of heavy metals (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn) in soil are 11.73 ± 3.78, 0.62 ± 1.40, 12.38 ± 3.68, 41.35 ± 13.01, 19.33 ± 8.92, 546.96 ± 159.28, 21.18 ± 7.04, 21.86 ± 6.61 and 63.51 ± 19.71 mg·kg−1, respectively. Compared with the background values of the soil environment in Qinghai Province, it can be seen that there is an accumulation of these heavy metals to varying degrees, which is the most serious in Cd, Co and Pb. Second, the analysis of the geo-accumulation index and Nemerow index indicates that the heavy metals in the surface soil of the region around the Qinghai Lake have reached the level of heavy pollution, mainly polluted by Cd, and the accumulation of heavy metal pollution in the north, south, southwest and southeast of the study area is more serious. Third, the results of potential ecological risk evaluation show that the study area as a whole is classified as an area with high ecological risk, and Cd contributes the most to the overall risk. In fact, the heavy metals in the soil of the study area produce no noncarcinogenic and carcinogenic health risks to human health, and children and adults may be exposed to these risks by the mouth. Finally, the PMF results reveal that the sources of heavy metals in the study area include the sources of agricultural production, the nature, coal burning and transportation, with a contribution rate of 43.10%, 25.34%, 19.67% and 11.89%, respectively.

An accumulation of heavy metals in soil poses a risk to the ecological environment and human health. In this study, the concentrations of heavy metals in soil and crops were examined in a lead-zinc mining area in Guizhou Province, China. The distribution and sources of heavy metals were analyzed using GIS spatial mapping. The potential ecological risks of heavy metals were assessed using the potential ecological risk index (RI), and the human health risk assessment method recommended by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) was used to quantify the health risk of residents exposed to heavy metals in the soil around lead-zinc mines. According to the results, the average of concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the soil were 58, 7.9, 175, 64, 0.461, 65, 1539, and 2513 mg·kg-1, respectively, which were significantly higher than the background values in Guizhou Province. It was found that the As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Pb, and Zn concentrations were extremely irregular in the soil and that the concentrations decreased significantly with the distance to the smelters, which were greatly disturbed by human activities. Comprehensive evaluation of soil heavy metals using the potential ecological risk index revealed that the risks of soil heavy metals were pole-strength and strong levels, and Cd constituted the primary ecological risk factor. A total of 22% and 10% of the corn samples contained Pb and As above the heavy metal pollution thresholds in the national food safety standards. According to human health risk assessments, heavy metals in the soil present potential non-carcinogenic risks to adults or children, and pose a potential carcinogenic risk to children. Soil pH was an important controlling factor affecting the bioavailability, migration, and accumulation of Cd in soil-crop systems. This study provides data and theoretical support for the prevention and control of soil pollution in lead-zine mining areas.

To study the sources and potential risks of heavy metals in soils of characteristic agricultural product producing areas is of great significance for the scientific management and safe utilization of soil and crop resources. The contents of heavy metals As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn in the 254 surface soil samples collected from the Heze oil peony planting area were determined. The content characteristics and correlation of heavy metals were analyzed using multivariate statistical methods. The sources of heavy metals in topsoil were analyzed using Igeo, PMF, and PCA/APCS. The ecological risks of the eight heavy metals were assessed through the potential ecological risk index (PERI). The results showed that the average contents of seven heavy metals in the soil were basically consistent with the background values of soil elements in Heze City, except that the average value of Cd was 1.44 times higher than the background value in Heze City. Correlation analysis and cluster analysis revealed that Pb, Hg, and Cd elements in the soil were greatly affected by human activities in the later period. The sources of eight heavy metals in the study area were natural sources, agricultural fertilizer sources, industrial coal sources, and domestic transportation sources, with the contribution rates of 81.31%, 15.45%, 2.74%, and 0.50%, respectively; 84.25% of the sites in the study area were at slight ecological risk, whereas the moderate risk and strong risk sites accounted for 14.96% and 0.79%, respectively. Among them, Cd and Hg were the dominant elements of ecological risk in the study area.

Taking the Minhang District of Shanghai as a typical rapidly urbanizing area, and based on 595 soil samples from 36 plots, the content of eight heavy metals in soils from five different land uses were analyzed. The ecological risk was evaluated using the Nemerow composite index and the potential ecological risk index. The results showed that the variation coefficients of the heavy metals Zn and Cd were highest, and were notably affected by human activities. The content of heavy metals in industrial land soil was relatively high compared to residential land and cultivated land soils, and heavy metal content was lowest in public management and service land soil. The Nemerow composite index of Zn and Cd was high, corresponding to severe and moderate levels of pollution, respectively. The other heavy metals were found at warning or light levels of pollution. The potential ecological risks posed by heavy metals in the soils from different land uses, in descending order, were heavy-metal-related industry land > non-heavy-metal-related industry land≈residential land > cultivated land≈public management and service land. Industrial land had a greater risk of heavy metal pollution due to industrial operations, complex historical production, and widely variable levels of management. Heavy metal accumulation also tended to occur in residential land and cultivated land soils. Therefore, the prevention of soil heavy metal pollution in association with different land uses, and the control of associated risks during redevelopment, are key challenges in rapidly urbanizing area.

Characteristics, correlations and health risks of PCDD/Fs and heavy metals in surface soil near municipal solid waste incineration plants in Southwest China

Fifty typical redevelopment industrial sites in the Putuo, Baoshan, Minhang, and Jiangding districts of Shanghai were chosen to evaluate the ecological risk of heavy metals in the soil. The contents of heavy metal (Hg, Cd, Pb, Cr, and As) in 1847 soil samples, taken from vertical sections, were determined, and their risks were evaluated using the Nemero composite index and Hakanson potential ecological risk index. The average contents of Hg, Cd, Pb, Cr, and As in topsoil samples were 0.33, 0.37, 74.55, 69.23, and 9.05 mg·kg-1, respectively. The contents of Hg, Cd, and Pb exceeded the soil background values of Shanghai, which were 2.75, 2.85, and 2.93 times the background values, respectively. The contents of five heavy metals in soil decreased gradually with increased depth. The contents of heavy metals in deep and saturated soils were close to, or below, the background values, indicating that the anthropic activity disturbance was mainly confined to the topsoil. The accumulation of Hg, Cd, and Pb was the most obvious in Putuo topsoil, with the average contents being 4.25, 4.85, and 3.09 times the background values, respectively. The average contents of Hg and Pb in Baoshan were 4.92 and 6.43 times the background values, respectively. The Nemero Composite Index of Baoshan and Putuo districts were 3.70 and 3.20, respectively, representing heavy pollution level at these sites. The Hakanson potential ecological risk indexes of the Putuo and Baoshang districts were 398.59 and 303.08, respectively, with considerable ecological risk levels. The content and ecological risk of heavy metals at the Minhang and Jiading sites were relatively low. In summary, the pollution of heavy metal in the redeveloped industrial sites is influenced by the operating time, industry type, and past management level of the enterprises. The heavy metal accumulation in the Putuo and Baoshan districts, whose industries developed earlier, were higher than those in the Minhang and Jiading districts. The pollution of heavy metal Hg, Cd, and Pb in soil should be a focus of future work.

PDF HTML阅读 XML下载 导出引用 引用提醒 新疆焉耆盆地辣椒地土壤重金属污染及生态风险预警 DOI: 10.5846/stxb201611302449 作者: 作者单位: 作者简介: 通讯作者: 中图分类号: 基金项目: 国家自然科学基金项目（41561073）；新疆杰出青年科技人才培养项目（qn2015jq003） Soil heavy metal pollution and ecological risk warning assessment of pepper field in Yanqi Basin, Xinjiang Author: Affiliation: Fund Project: 摘要 | 图/表 | 访问统计 | 参考文献 | 相似文献 | 引证文献 | 资源附件 | 文章评论 摘要:从新疆加工辣椒主产地（焉耆盆地）采集105个辣椒地典型土壤样品，测定其中As、Cd、Cr、Cu、Mn、Ni、Pb和Zn等8种重金属元素的含量。采用污染负荷指数（Pollution load index，PLI）、潜在生态风险指数（Potential ecological risk index，RI）和生态风险预警指数（Ecological risk warning index，IER）对辣椒地土壤重金属污染及生态风险进行评价。结果表明：（1）焉耆盆地辣椒地土壤Cd、Cr、Ni、Pb和Zn含量的平均值分别超出新疆灌耕土背景值的1.65、1.40、1.32、3.21、6.42倍。辣椒地土壤Pb和Zn呈现重度污染，Cd、Cr和Ni轻度污染，As、Mn和Cu无污染。（2）土壤PLI平均值为1.40，呈现轻度污染。各重金属元素单项生态风险指数从大到小依次为：Cd、Ni、As、Cu、Pb、Cr、Zn。土壤RI平均值为18.40，属于轻微生态风险态势，IER平均值为-4.78，属于无警态势；博湖县辣椒地污染水平、潜在生态风险程度与生态风险预警等级最高，焉耆县污染水平、潜在生态风险程度与生态风险预警等级最低。（3）辣椒地土壤As、Cd、Pb与Zn主要受到人类活动的影响，Cr、Cu、Mn和Ni主要受到土壤地球化学作用的控制。Cd是焉耆盆地辣椒地生态风险等级最高的重金属元素，研究区农业生产过程中要防范Cd的污染风险。 Abstract:Heavy metals have long been recognized as pollutants that are potentially harmful to human health. In recent decades, research on heavy metals in soil environments has become a hotspot in environmental research. Under normal conditions, heavy metal concentrations in soils are several orders of magnitude higher than that in the background value of soils. Thus, the concentrations and potential ecological risks of heavy metals in farmland soils are important reference indicators for evaluating farmland soil environmental quality. Human activities are known to result in heavy metal pollution of farmland soils. Recent research in this field in China has focused on the sources, distribution, pollution, and ecological risk of heavy metals in farmland soils in the eastern or central parts. However, there has been limited research on soil contamination of farmland, particularly pepper fields, in the arid regions of northwest China. Therefore, we collected a total of 105 soil samples from pepper field in the main pepper production area (Yanqi Basin) in Xinjiang, China, and determined the content of eight heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) by standard methods. The heavy metal pollution of pepper field soils was analyzed based on pollution load index (PLI), potential ecological risk index (RI), and ecological risk warning index (IER). The results indicated that the average content of Cd, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn exceeded 1.65, 1.40, 1.32, 3.21, and 6.42 times, respectively, that of the background values for irrigation soil in Xinjiang. High levels of Pb, and Zn pollution, low levels of Cd, Cr and Ni pollution, and no As, Mn, or Cu pollution were detected in pepper field soils. The average value of PLI was 1.40, which showed a light pollution level; the average RI for each heavy metal in decreasing order was as follows:Cd, Ni, As, Cu, Pb, Cr, and Zn. The average value of RI of soil was 18.40, which indicated light ecological risk. The average value of IER of soil was -4.78, which indicated a no warning situation. The pollution level, potential ecological risk, and ecological risk warming of Bahrash county were the highest, whereas those of Hejing county were the lowest in Yanqi Basin. As, Cd, Pb, and Zn pollution in pepper field soil were mainly affected by the human activities, and Cr, Cu, Mn, and Ni pollution were mainly affected by the geochemical background of soils. Cd was the main pollutant of farmland soil with strong influence on the PLI, RI, and IER. The pollution risk of Cd should be a major concern during the process of agricultural production in Yanqi Basin. 参考文献 相似文献 引证文献

Soil heavy metals in karst areas have obvious high background value characteristics. Conducting county-level soil heavy metal ecological risk assessment and identifying heavy metal sources in karst areas are of great significance for soil pollution control and land resource management. Taking Pingguo City, a typical karst county in Guangxi Province, as the study object, 3 151 surface and deep soil samples were collected using the grid method and combined to form 785 analytical samples. The contents of eight heavy metal elements, including As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn, were determined. The content characteristics and sources of heavy metals were analyzed using statistical analysis, interpolation analysis, factor analysis, and the absolute principal component-multiple linear regression model （APCS-MLR）. Using the content of heavy metal elements in deep soil （150-200 cm） as background values, the ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in surface soil （0-20 cm） in the study area was conducted using the geo-accumulation index （Igeo） and potential ecological risk index （RI） methods. The results showed that the average content of heavy metal elements in the deep soil of the study area was significantly higher than the background value of the C layer soil in Guangxi Province, and the average content of heavy metal elements in the surface soil was significantly higher than the background value of the A layer soil in Guangxi Province. The spatial distribution of soil heavy metal element content generally showed the characteristics of high in karst areas and low in non-karst areas. The main sources of As, Cr, Ni, Pb, and Zn were soil parent materials, with contribution rates of 74.36%, 84.59%, 93.69%, 79.67%, and 78.17%, respectively. The main sources of Cd were soil parent material sources and unknown sources, with contribution rates of 37.33% and 31.05%, respectively. The main sources of Cu were soil parent materials and unknown sources, with contribution rates of 59.07% and 40.23%, respectively. The main sources of Hg were tectonic activity and mineralization, as well as unknown sources, with contribution rates of 52.49% and 30.65%, respectively. The geo-accumulation index （Igeo） showed that the surface soil was mainly polluted by Cd, with mild or above pollution accounting for 47.78%. The potential ecological risk index （RI） showed that the proportion of surface soil heavy metal comprehensive potential ecological hazards with mild, moderate, strong, and very strong levels was 80.78%, 14.97%, 2.51%, and 1.64%, respectively.

BACKGROUND: Agricultural soils are vulnerable from contamination of heavy metal derived from industrial waste. Monitoring on heavy metals on agricultural soils around industrial complexes and evaluation on distributional state on the concentrations of heavy metals in soil have been carried out for problem assessment on soil condition. METHODS AND RESULTS: Soil samples of 1,200, were collected from sixty site of industrial complexes located Gyounggi, Chungbuk, Cheonbuk, and Gyoungnam provinces. Total concentration of Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, and As were analyzed. Heavy metal concentrations in most soil samples were below warning criteria, except 1 site of Pb, Ni, and As, separately. The comparison of mean values of heavy metal concentrations between soils around industrial complexes and paddy soils, showed similar levels of heavy metals, except Pb. The concentrations of lots of heavy metals were distributed between from warning criteria to one fifth level of warning criteria. However, in the case of Cu and Pb, more than 30% were distributed below one twenties level of warning criteria. These results were very similar with the distribution state of heavy metals in upland soils. The concentrations of heavy metals in surface soil and subsoil were similar among the heavy metals in soils around industrial complexes. CONCLUSION: The concentrations of heavy metals in soils around industrial complexes were distributed close to warning criteria. Long term and continous monitoring and evaluation on heavy metals in agricultural soils are required for food safety and sustainable soil management.

To investigate the distribution characteristics and hazard levels of eight heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, Zn) in karst soil with a high geological background of heavy metals, 32 and 40 surface soil samples were collected from limestone and clastic rock areas, respectively, in the northern part of Mashan County, Guangxi Province, a typical mountainous county dominated by primary industries in China. Geostatistical methods, Pearson’s correlation analysis, the geo-accumulation index, and the potential ecological hazard index were applied to explore the influencing factors of those heavy metals and evaluate their potential contamination risks. The results show that (1) the levels of the eight heavy metal elements in the surface soils of karst areas exceeded the background values of soil for Mashan County, the background value of soil (layer A) in China, and abundance value of upper crust. According to the soil pollution risk screening values specified in the Soil Environmental Quality: Risk Control Standard for Contamination of Agricultural Land, the proportions of heavy metals in the soils of karst areas were ranked as Cd (100%) > As (90.6%) > Cr (84.4%) > Zn (68.8%) > Ni (37.5%). Meanwhile, the heavy metals in the soils of non-karst areas did not exceed the overall values for Mashan County, and Ni, Pb, and Zn did not exceed the overall national soil values. One-quarter of Cd in non-karst samples exceeded the risk-threshold screening value. There was a high degree of variation and a significant difference in the contents of heavy metal elements between karst and non-karst areas. (2) The element combinations of As-Cd-Cu-Hg-Ni-Pb-Zn and Cr in karst areas were characterized by the influence of carbonate rock parent material. The non-karst areas were characterized by Ni-Cu-Pb-Zn, As-Cr-Hg, and Cd assemblages, which were mainly influenced by the mixture of laterite parent materials, sand shale parent materials, and basic-rock residual materials, and that may be affected by element migration caused by soil erosion and anthropogenic activities. (3) Analysis of the geo-accumulation index showed that karst areas were generally found to be at the clean to light pollution level, except for in the areas whose samples exhibited medium/high pollution levels for Cd and Cr, with the Cd pollution being the more serious of the two. Small amounts of Cd and Cu were present in the non-karst areas at a light contamination level, while other elements were at the level of no pollution. (4) The results of the potential ecological risk index showed that Cd and Hg were the main ecologically hazardous heavy metal elements in the soils of the study areas. The potential ecological risk level in karst areas was much higher than in non-karst areas, especially for Cd, and was mainly influenced by the carbonate rock parent material.

Lime bordeaux mixture (LBM) and lime sulfur mixture (LSM) are representative environmental friendly organic materials for prevention of insect pests in South Korea. Recently, those have been widely used as an alternative for chemical pesticides in eco-friendly farms. However, South Korea has not established even recommendation of LBM and LSM considering the stability of heavy metals in soil. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accumulation of hazardous heavy metals in soil and plant with long-term application of LBM and LSM. Firstly, we investigated the amount of LBM and LSM used per year in several eco-friendly farms to determine a standard application rate of both materials. The pepper plant was grown on the pot in greenhouse for 14 weeks. Both materials were applied at 0, 1, 3, and 9 times of standard application rates (2.56 and 1.28 L ha-1 of LBM and LSM per year, respectively). Dry matter yield of pepper and heavy metals (As, Cd, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) concentration in soil and pepper plant were measured after 14 weeks. Yield of pepper plant did not significantly chang with up to application rate of 1 times, thereafter it markedly decreased with more than 3 times. With increasing LBM and LSM application, the concentration of Cu and Zn in soil significantly increased. Especially, Zn concentration in pepper significantly increased with increasing application rates of both materials. This might resulted in significant decrease in dry matter yield of pepper. The concentrations of those heavy metals in soil did not exceed safety levels (150 mg kg-1 for Cu and 300 mg kg-1 for Zn) established by the Korean Soil Environmental Conservation Act as well as concentration of heavy metals in pepper plant by Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. However, particular attention should be paid for heavy metal safety and crop productivity when using LBM and LSM in the organic farm. Concentration of heavy metals in soil amended with different rate of Bordeaux and Sulphur mixtures at harvest time. †Criteria value: Maximum permissible concentration of heavy metal in soil established by Korean Soil Conservation Act.‡Average value: Average concentration of heavy metals in Korean arable soils.§tr: trace.

Effect of continuous irrigation with industrial effluent for more than three decades on soil physical, physico-chemical properties; and major, secondary and micronutrient with pollutant element status of soils and plants in Jajmau area of Kanpur city of Uttar Pradesh was ascertained. Long term alone use of industrial effluent for growing crops, particularly vegetables, may result in the uptake of toxic metals by crop plants, with the chance of their access into the food chain. While the use of industrial effluent with alternate irrigated with well water, the physical properties of soils were observed to be improved. An appreciable increase in organic carbon; available N, P, K and micronutrients were recorded in the alternate with industrial effluent and well water irrigated soils over that of the alone Industrial effluent irrigated soils. Electrical conductivity of alternate irrigated soils was much below the threshold limit of salinity. Long-term application of industrial effluent water resulted in the accumulation of heavy metals in surface soil; the concentration of these elements is approaching the maximum permissible limits suggested. The mean content of total Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Ni, Cr and Pb in the soils irrigated with industrial effluent water was 1.53, 1.09, 1.12, 1.14, 1.01, 1.23 and 1.01 times as compared to their content in the alternate irrigated soils, and the concentration of these metals in sugar beet grown on industrial effluent-fed soils was higher by 1.34, 1.16, 1.32, 1.51, 1.34, 1.65 and 1.26 times, respectively. The relative availability of the metals was recorded in the order of Pb > Cu > Zn > Mn > Cr > Ni > Fe. The concentration of heavy metals in sugar beet plant grown on industrial effluent was higher as compared to their tolerance level indicating their accumulation in plants. The results suggest that industrial effluent irrigation improves soil physical properties and fertility status indicating its potential for use in agriculture. However, accumulation of heavy metals in soil and plant necessitates its safer use of alternate industrial effluent with well water to safeguard soil health and reduce the risk of animal and human health hazard. Sugar beet was found more suitable in comparison to other vegetables under study and can be used for phytoremediation purposes to minimize the concentration of heavy metals in soil.