C. Yuan

Phytoextraction of Cadmium and Zinc By Sedum plumbizincicola Using Different Nitrogen Fertilizers, a Nitrification Inhibitor and a Urease Inhibitor

Cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) phytoavailability and their phytoextraction by Sedum plumbizincicola using different nitrogen fertilizers, nitrification inhibitor (dicyandiamide, DCD) and urease inhibitor (N-(n-Butyl) thiophosphoric triamide, NBPT) were investigated in pot experiments where the soil was contaminated with 0.99 mg kg−1 of Cd and 241 mg kg−1 Zn. The soil solution pH varied between 7.30 and 8.25 during plant growth which was little affected by the type of N fertilizer. The (NH4)2SO4+DCD treatment produced higher NH4+−N concentrations in soil solution than the (NH4)2SO4 and NaNO3 treatment which indicated that DCD addition inhibited the nitrification process. Shoot Cd and Zn concentrations across all treatments showed ranges of 52.9–88.3 and 2691–4276 mg kg−1, respectively. The (NH4)2SO4+DCD treatment produced slightly higher but not significant Cd and Zn concentrations in the xylem sap than the NaNO3 treatment. Plant shoots grown with NaNO3 had higher Cd concentrations than (NH4)2SO4+DCD treatment at 24.0 and 15.4 mg kg−1, respectively. N fertilizer application had no significant effect on shoot dry biomass. Total Cd uptake in the urea+DCD treatment was higher than in the control, urea+NBPT, urea+NBPT+DCD, or urea treatments, by about 17.5, 23.3, 10.7, and 25.1%, respectively.

Concentrations of Heavy Metals in Suburban Horticultural Soils and Their Uptake by Artemisia selengensis

A total of 222 surface soil samples and 40 plant samples were collected to investigate the spatial distribution and possible sources of soil heavy metals and to know the uptake and translocation of heavy metals from roots to different plant parts in a representative vegetable production area in the Baguazhou Island, a suburb of Nanjing City, East China. The arithmetic mean values of total Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn concentrations in the soils were 0.314, 133, 41.0, 58.0, 31.8, and 114 mg kg(-1), respectively. All of these values were above the topsoil background values in the Nanjing area. Multivariate and geostatistical analyses showed that soil Cd contamination was derived mainly from agricultural practices. In contrast, Cu and Zn were derived mainly from soil parent materials and Pb from atmospheric deposition from highway gasoline stations. Artemisia selengensis, a locally important specialty vegetable, accumulated heavy metals primarily in the edible leaves. The general distribution of heavy metal concentrations in this plant species showed that the highest occurred in the leaves, intermediate in the stems and lowest in the roots. Cd had the highest concentration factor (root-to-soil ratio) and may pose increased health risks in the future to the local population through the consumption of contaminated vegetables.