Effects of Soil Properties on the Transfer of Cadmium from Soil to Wheat in the Yangtze River Delta Region, China—a Typical Industry–Agriculture Transition Area

• Published in: Biological trace element research 2012-08, Vol.148 (2), p.264-274
• Main Authors: Wang, Cheng, Ji, Junfeng, Yang, Zhongfang, Chen, Lingxiao, Browne, Patrick, Yu, Ruilian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural land; agricultural soils; Agriculture; Benzopyrans - chemistry; bioaccumulation; Biochemistry; Biological Transport; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biotechnology; Brackish; Cadmium; Cadmium - chemistry; Calcium - chemistry; carbon; Carbonates; chemical speciation; China; Environmental Monitoring - methods; exchangeable calcium; exchangeable magnesium; Food Contamination - analysis; Freshwater; fulvic acids; Humic acids; Humic Substances - analysis; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Industry; iron; Life Sciences; Magnesium - chemistry; manganese; Mass Spectrometry - methods; nitrogen; Nutrition; Oncology; Organic carbon; phosphorus; Plant biology; Plant Roots - chemistry; potassium; Rivers; Rivers - chemistry; roots; Seeds - chemistry; Soil - analysis; Soil - chemistry; Soil contamination; soil organic carbon; Soil pH; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Soil Pollutants - chemistry; soil pollution; Soil properties; soil sampling; Speciation; statistical analysis; Statistical methods; straw; sulfur; Topsoil; Triticum - chemistry; Triticum aestivum; Wheat; wheat soils; zinc
• ISSN: 0163-4984; 1559-0720
• DOI: 10.1007/s12011-012-9367-z

In order to identify the effects of soil properties on the transfer of Cd from soil to wheat under actual field conditions, 126 pairs of topsoil and wheat samples were collected from the Yangtze River delta region, China. Relevant parameters (Cd, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Zn, N, P, K, S, pH, total organic carbon, and speciation of soil Cd) in soil and wheat tissues were analyzed, and the results were treated by statistical methods. Soil samples (19.8%) and 14.3% of the wheat grain samples exceeded the relevant maximum permissible Cd concentrations in China for agricultural soil and wheat grain, respectively. The major speciations of Cd in soil were exchangeable, bound to carbonates and fulvic and humic acid fraction, and they were readily affected by soil pH, total Ca, Mg, S and P, DTPA-Fe, Ex-Ca, and Ex-Mg. Cadmium showed a strong correlation with Fe, S, and P present in the grain and the soil, whereas there was no significant correlation in the straw or root. Generally, soil pH, Ca, Mg, Mn, P, and slowly available K restricted Cd transfer from soil to wheat, whereas soil S, N, Zn, DTPA-Fe, and total organic carbon enhance Cd uptake by wheat.