Determination and evaluation of heavy metals in soils under two different greenhouse vegetable production systems in eastern China.
The evaluation of heavy metals (HMs) in greenhouse soils is crucial for both environmental monitoring and human health; thus, it is imperative to determine their concentrations, identify their sources and assess their potential risks. In this study, eight metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in 167 surface soils were investigated in two representative greenhouse vegetable systems of China: perennial solar greenhouse (SG) and seasonal plastic greenhouse (PG). The results indicated accumulations of Cd, Cu, Hg and Zn in the SG soils and Cd, Pb, Hg and Zn in the PG soils, with higher concentrations than the background values. In particular, Cd and Hg exhibited high levels of pollution under both GVP systems due to their positive Igeo values. Principle component analysis (PCA) and correlation analysis suggested that Cd, Cu, Hg and Zn in the SG soils and Cd, Hg and Zn in the PG soils were mainly related to intensive farming practices; Pb in the PG soils was significantly affected by atmospheric deposition. The results showed that soil characteristics, in particular soil organic matter, total nitrogen and total phosphorus, exerted significant influence on Hg, Cu, Cd, and Zn under the SG system. However, the HMs in the PG soils were weakly affected by soil properties. Overall, this study provides comparative research on the accumulation, potential risks and sources of HMs in two typical greenhouse soils in China, and our findings suggest that, Cd and Hg in both greenhouse soils could potentially represent environmental problems.
Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Kang
K
Tian
Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China.
Wenyou
W
Hu
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Zhe
Z
Xing
Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China. Electronic address: bhuang@issas.ac.cn.
Biao
B
Huang
Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Mengmeng
M
Jia
Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Mengxue
M
Wan
D000383:Agriculture; D001151:Arsenic / Q000032:analysis*; D002681:China; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods; D019216:Metals, Heavy / Q000032:analysis*; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000032:analysis; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000032:analysis; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000032:analysis*; D014675:Vegetables
D019216:Metals, Heavy; D012989:Soil Pollutants; D010758:Phosphorus; D001151:Arsenic; D009584:Nitrogen
Greenhouse vegetable production; Heavy metals; Risk assessment; Soils; Source identification