Coupling sprinkler freshwater irrigation with vegetable species selection as a sustainable approach for agricultural production in farmlands with a history of 50-year wastewater irrigation

• Published in: Journal of hazardous materials 2021-07, Vol.414, p.125576-125576, Article 125576
• Main Authors: Cao, Chun, Zhang, Peng, Ma, Zhen-Ping, Ma, Zhen-Bang, Wang, Jun-Jian, Tang, Yuan-Yuan, Chen, Huan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aboveground part; Bioconcentration factor; Brassica rapa subsp. chinensis; Brassica rapa subsp. pekinensis; cabbage; Daucus carota; freshwater; Heavy metal(loid)s; heavy metals; irrigation water; soil; soil pollution; Solanum tuberosum; Sprinkler irrigation; sustainable agriculture; wastewater; Wastewater irrigation
• ISSN: 0304-3894; 1873-3336
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.125576

Soil contamination and crop risks of heavy metal(loid)s are widely reported after the long-term irrigation of treated wastewater, causing an adverse influence on agricultural sustainability. Here, we collected soils after 50 years of wastewater irrigation to cultivate cabbage (Brassica pekinensis L.), rape (Brassica chinensis L.), carrots (Daucus carota L.), and potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.), using surface and sprinkler irrigation with freshwater and wastewater. In general, we found the statistically insignificant influence of short-term freshwater irrigation on the soil and vegetable metal(loid) concentrations. Most of the vegetables had potential adverse health risks with the relatively lower risks in carrots and potatoes, and most of the risks were contributed by As and Cd. Nevertheless, we observed negligible health risks for all studied metal(loid)s in potatoes under the freshwater irrigations. Besides, compared to wastewater irrigations, freshwater irrigations produced lower Cd health risks in all four vegetable species. Sprinkler irrigation with freshwater was a favorable approach for reducing the uptake of metal(loid)s from soils and the metal(loid) concentrations in aboveground parts. Our study highlights the possibility of reducing vegetable metal(loid) risks in contaminated farmlands via a combined approach of coupling the short-term decrease in their levels in irrigation water with vegetable species selection. [Display omitted] •Most of vegetables had adverse health risks, primarily due to As and Cd.•Health risks in potatoes were negligible under freshwater irrigations.•A shift from wastewater to freshwater irrigation reduced Cd risks in edible parts.•Sprinkler freshwater irrigation was favorable for reducing the uptakes and concentrations.