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. 2024 Nov 26;196(12):1254.
doi: 10.1007/s10661-024-13301-x.

Cadmium availability in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils in cacao farms in Santander, Colombia

C A Adarme-Duran  1   2 , J Ágreda  2 , P F B Brandão  2 , E Castillo  3
Affiliations

Cadmium availability in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils in cacao farms in Santander, Colombia

C A Adarme-Duran et al. Environ Monit Assess. .

Abstract

Current research has highlighted the need to understand the factors influencing cadmium (Cd) availability in cacao-growing soils to elucidate its presence in cacao beans (the raw material for chocolate). Although literature about this topic is increasing, few report the importance of rhizosphere soils on Cd dynamics. This study aimed to understand the changes in available Cd and its association with soil properties (pH, pseudo-total Cd, available Cd (Cd-DTPA), Ca, Mg, K, Na, soil organic carbon, P, Zn, urease activity, exchangeable acidity, and cation exchange capacity) considering rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils. Both soil types (51 samples of each, 102 in total) were collected from two Colombian cacao farms. The medians of pseudo-total Cd (1.86 mg kg-1) and Cd-DTPA (0.76 mg kg-1) were, respectively, about threefold and fourfold higher in rhizosphere compared to non-rhizosphere soils. Principal component analysis showed a clear distinction between rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils based on differences in soil properties, which explained the observed changes in available Cd when comparing both soil types. Soil organic carbon and Zn were important drivers of available Cd in rhizosphere soils. Spatial distribution analysis revealed a tendency of available Cd to cluster in rhizosphere soils, and indicated hotspots within each farm. These findings highlight the importance of rhizosphere soils for Cd diagnosis and monitoring, and for improving knowledge about Cd dynamics in the soil-Theobroma cacao L. system.

Keywords: Available Cd; Bulk soils; Cocoa; Rhizosphere soils; Soil parameters; Spatial distribution.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethical approval: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Sampling sites at La Perla and Los Cedros farms located in El Carmen de Chucurí, Santander, Colombia. The farms are located in the geological subunit b2b6-Sm. Adapted from Servicio Geológico Colombiano (Gómez & Montes., 2020)
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Boxplot of pseudo-total Cd (a) and available Cd (b) for both farms considering RS and NRS soils
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
PCA Biplot for the farms a) Los Cedros and b) La Perla
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Hot and cold spots for Cd-DTPA, Zn, and SOC in the RS and NRS from La Perla and Los Cedros farms
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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