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. 2010 Feb;7(2):395-412.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph7020395. Epub 2010 Feb 1.

Heavy metals in soil and crops of an intensively farmed area: a case study in Yucheng City, Shandong Province, China

Lin Jia  1 , Wuyi Wang, Yonghua Li, Linsheng Yang
Affiliations

Heavy metals in soil and crops of an intensively farmed area: a case study in Yucheng City, Shandong Province, China

Lin Jia et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2010 Feb.

Abstract

Yucheng City is located in northwestern Shandong Province, China, and is situated on the Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, the largest alluvial plain in China. In this study, 86 surface soil samples were collected in Yucheng City and analyzed for cation exchange capacity (CEC), soil organic matter (SOM), pH, available phosphorus (avail. P), phosphorus (P), aluminum (Al), and iron (Fe). These soils were also analyzed for 'total' chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb), together with 92 wheat samples and 37 corn samples. There was no obvious heavy metal contamination in the soil and irrigation water. But the long-term accumulation of heavy metals in soil has lead to an increase of Ni, As, Hg and Pb concentrations in some of wheat and corn samples and Cd in wheat samples. Because of the numerous sources of soil heavy metals and the lower level of heavy metal in irrigation water, there is no significant relation between soil heavy metal concentrations and irrigation water concentrations. Cr, Ni were mainly from the indigenous clay minerals according to multivariate analysis. Little contribution to soil heavy metal contents from agricultural fertilizer use was found and the local anomalies of As, Cd, Hg, Pb in wheat and corn grain are attributed to the interactive effects of irrigation and fertilizer used. Aerial Hg, however may also be the source of Hg for soil, wheat and corn.

Keywords: Yucheng City; agricultural activities; heavy metals; multivariate statistics.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Soil sampling points in Yucheng City, Shandong Province, China.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
PCA of the heavy metal and fertility parameters for the soils sampled in Yucheng City.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Comparison of heavy metal concentrations in soil irrigated with water from local rivers, ground water and the Yellow River and the ANOVA results (p-value). Data represent the mean ± STD. Soil LR – GW refers to the difference between soil irrigated with water from local rivers and groundwater. Soil LR – YR refers to the difference between soil irrigated with water from local rivers and the Yellow River. Soil GW – YR refers to the difference between soil irrigated with water from groundwater and the Yellow River. The same denotation applied to Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
Heavy metal concentrations in wheat and corn derived from different irrigation. Data represent the mean ± STD.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Comparison of heavy metal concentrations in soil fertilized with chemical manure and organic manure and the ANOVA results (p-value). Data represent the mean ± STD. CM refers to the chemical manure; OM refers to the organic manure. The same denotation applied to Figures 6.
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Comparison of heavy metal concentrations in wheat and corn fertilized with chemical manure and organic manure and the ANOVA results (p-value). Data represent the mean ± STD.
Figure 7.
Figure 7.
Estimates of effect size (eta-squared, η2) calculated from the MANOVA for heavy metals in soil.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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