Assessment of heavy metal contamination and bioaccumulation in soybean plants from mining and smelting areas of southern Hunan Province, China

• Published in: Environmental toxicology and chemistry 2013-12, Vol.32 (12), p.2719-2727
• Main Authors: Zhou, Hang, Zeng, Min, Zhou, Xin, Liao, Bo-Han, Liu, Jun, Lei, Ming, Zhong, Qian-Yun, Zeng, Hui
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Applied sciences; Assessment; Bioaccumulation; Biological and medical sciences; Biological magnification; Cadmium; China; Exact sciences and technology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geoaccumulation index; Glycine max - chemistry; Glycine max - metabolism; Heavy metal accumulation; Heavy metal content; Heavy metals; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; Lead; Leaves; Metal concentrations; Metallurgy; Metals, Heavy - analysis; Metals, Heavy - metabolism; Mining; Non agrochemicals pollutants; Phytopathology. Animal pests. Plant and forest protection; Pollution; Pollution effects and side effects of agrochemicals on crop plants and forest trees. Other anthropogenic factors; Pollution effects. Side effects of agrochemicals; Pollution sources. Measurement results; Roots; Seeds; Smelting; Soil - chemistry; Soil and sediments pollution; Soil contamination; Soil Pollutants - chemistry; Soil Pollutants - metabolism; Soybean (Glycine max); Soybeans; Stems; Toxicology; Translocation; Zinc
• ISSN: 0730-7268; 1552-8618
• DOI: 10.1002/etc.2389

Soybean is one of most important dicotyledonous food crops and is widely planted in Hunan Province, China. However, mining activity causes contamination of the soil in which soybean grows. To assess the impact of mining‐induced soil contamination on soybean plants, a geoaccumulation index (Igeo) was used to evaluate 20 soil samples from the mining and smelting areas of southern Hunan Province. The results indicated that Zn ranged from uncontaminated to a moderately contaminated level (Igeo  3), and Cd was at an extremely contaminated level (Igeo > 5) across the whole study area. All of the studied soybean plants were affected by heavy metal Pb and Cd contamination, and the mean concentrations in seeds were 13.9 mg/kg and 2.95 mg/kg, respectively. The estimated bioconcentration factor and translocation factor showed that the soybean roots had a strong Cd bioconcentration capability and the stems had a strong translocation capability in terms of Pb, Cd, and Zn, with preferential transference of metals to the soybean leaves. The bioavailable fraction in the soil was characterized by the exchangeable fraction of heavy metals. In the present study, the bioavailable fractions of Pb, Cd, and Zn were significantly positively correlated with the concentration of these metals in soybean tissues (roots, stems, leaves, husks, and seeds). Environ Toxicol Chem 2013;32:2719–2727. © 2013 SETAC