Field evidence of cadmium phytoavailability decreased effectively by rape straw and/or red mud with zinc sulphate in a Cd-contaminated calcareous soil

Bo Li; Junxing Yang; Dongpu Wei; Shibao Chen; Jumei Li; Yibing Ma

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0109967

Field evidence of cadmium phytoavailability decreased effectively by rape straw and/or red mud with zinc sulphate in a Cd-contaminated calcareous soil

PLoS One. 2014 Oct 10;9(10):e109967. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0109967. eCollection 2014.

Authors

Bo Li¹, Junxing Yang², Dongpu Wei³, Shibao Chen³, Jumei Li³, Yibing Ma³

Affiliations

¹ National Soil Fertility and Fertilizer Effects Long-term Monitoring Network, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China; Institute of Plant Nutrition and Environmental Resources, Liaoning Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shenyang, P. R. China.
² National Soil Fertility and Fertilizer Effects Long-term Monitoring Network, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China; Centre for Environmental Remediation, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.
³ National Soil Fertility and Fertilizer Effects Long-term Monitoring Network, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, P. R. China.

Abstract

To reduce Cd phytoavailability in calcareous soils, the effects of soil amendments of red mud, rape straw, and corn straw in combination with zinc fertilization on Cd extractability and phytoavailability to spinach, tomato, Chinese cabbage and radish were investigated in a calcareous soil with added Cd at 1.5 mg kg-1. The results showed that water soluble and exchangeable Cd in soils was significantly decreased by the amendments themselves from 26% to 70%, which resulted in marked decrease by approximately from 34% to 77% in Cd concentration in vegetables. The amendments plus Zn fertilization further decreased the Cd concentration in vegetables. Also cruciferous rape straw was more effective than gramineous corn straw. In all treatments, rape straw plus red mud combined with Zn fertilization was most effective in decreasing Cd phytoavailability in soils, and it is potential to be an efficient and cost-effective measure to ensure food safety for vegetable production in mildly Cd-contaminated calcareous soils.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Brassica rapa
Cadmium / analysis*
Environmental Pollution*
Fertilizers
Soil / chemistry*
Soil Pollutants / analysis*
Zinc Sulfate*

Substances

Fertilizers
Soil
Soil Pollutants
Cadmium
Zinc Sulfate

Grants and funding

The authors thank the Special Fund for Public Industry in China (Agriculture, 200903015) and the Natural Science Foundation of China (41201312 and 41401361) for financial supports. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.