Hanping Xia

Health risk from heavy metals via consumption of food crops in the vicinity of Dabaoshan mine, South China.

Heavy metal contamination of soils resulting from mining and smelting is causing major concern due to the potential risk involved. This study was designed to investigate the heavy metal (Cu, Zn, Pb and Cd) concentrations in soils and food crops and estimate the potential health risks of metals to humans via consumption of polluted food crops grown at four villages around the Dabaoshan mine, South China. The heavy metal concentrations in paddy and garden soils exceeded the maximum allowable concentrations for Chinese agricultural soil. The paddy soil at Fandong village was heavily contaminated with Cu (703 mg kg(-1)), Zn (1100 mg kg(-1)), Pb (386 mg kg(-1)) and Cd (5.5 mg kg(-1)). Rice tended to accumulated higher Cd and Pb concentration in grain parts. The concentrations of Cd, Pb and Zn in vegetables exceeded the maximum permissible concentration in China. Taro grown at the four sampled villages accumulated high concentrations of Zn, Pb and Cd. Bio-accumulation factors for heavy metals in different vegetables showed a trend in the order: Cd>Zn>Cu>Pb. Bio-accumulation factors of heavy metals were significantly higher for leafy than for non-leafy vegetable. The target hazard quotient (THQ) of rice at four sites varied from 0.66-0.89 for Cu, 0.48-0.60 for Zn, 1.43-1.99 for Pb, and 2.61-6.25 for Cd. Estimated daily intake (EDI) and THQs for Cd and Pb of rice and vegetables exceeded the FAO/WHO permissible limit. Heavy metal contamination of food crops grown around the mine posed a great health risk to the local population through consumption of rice and vegetables.

Potential of four forage grasses in remediation of Cd and Zn contaminated soils.

A pot experiment was conducted in a greenhouse to evaluate the phytoremediation abilities of four forage grasses with respect to soil Cd and Zn pollution. High Cd pollution significantly increased the biomass of Pennisetum americanum (L.) LeekexPennisetum purpureum Schumach, showed no effect on Silphium perfoliatum Linn and significantly decreased biomass of Paspalum atratum cv. Reyan No. 11 and Stylosanthes guianensis cv. Reyan II. High Zn pollution significantly decreased biomass of all grasses. Shoot Cd extraction amounts were 624, 179, 21 and 15mug/plant for P. americanumxP. purpureum, P. atratum, S. guianensis and S. perfoliatum respectively at soil Cd concentration of 8mg/kg. The shoot Zn extraction amount for P. americanumxP. purpureum was 8189mug/plant while the other three grasses were severely intoxicated at the soil Zn concentration of 600mg/kg. P. americanumxP. purpureum and P. atratum could be useful for phytoextraction of either or both Cd and Zn pollution; S. perfoliatum could be regarded as a candidate species for phytostabilization of Cd contamination; while S. guianensis had no remediation capability.

Ecological rehabilitation and phytoremediation with four grasses in oil shale mined land

Vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides), bahia grass (Paspalum notatum), St. Augustine grass (Stenotaphrum secundatum), and bana grass (Pennisetum glaucumxP. purpureum) were selected to rehabilitate the degraded ecosystem of an oil shale mined land of Maoming Petro-Chemical Company located in Southwest of Guangdong Province, China. Among them, vetiver had the highest survival rate, up to 99%, followed by bahia and St. Augustine, 96% and 91%, respectively, whereas bana had the lowest survival rate of 62%. The coverage and biomass of vetiver were also the highest after 6-month planting. Fertilizer application significantly increased biomass and tiller number of the four grasses, of which St. Augustine was promoted most, up to 70% for biomass, while vetiver was promoted least, only 27% for biomass. Two heavy metals, lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) tested in this trial had different concentrations in the oil shale residue, and also had different contents and distributions in the four grass species. Concentrations of Pb and Cd in the four grasses presented a disparity of only 1.6-3.8 times, but their uptake amounts to the two metals were apart up to 27.5-35.5 times, which was chiefly due to the significantly different biomasses among them. Fertilizer application could abate the ability of the four species to accumulate heavy metals, namely concentration of heavy metals in plants decreased as fertilizer was applied. The total amount of metals accumulated by each plant under the condition of fertilization did not decrease due to an increase of biomass. In summary, vetiver may be the best species used for vegetation rehabilitation in oil shale disposal piles.

Effects of nitrogen‐fixing and non‐nitrogen‐fixing tree species on soil properties and nitrogen transformation during forest restoration in southern China

Abstract The role of different plantation tree species in soil nutrient cycling is of great importance for the restoration of degraded lands. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the potential of N-fixing and non-N-fixing tree species to recuperate degraded land in southern China. The soil properties and N transformations in six forest types (two N-fixing plantations, three non-N-fixing plantations and a secondary shrubland) established in 1984 were compared. The N-fixing forests had 40–50% higher soil organic matter and 20–50% higher total nitrogen concentration in the 0–5 cm soils than the non-N-fixing forests. Soil inorganic N was highest under the secondary shrubland. The N-fixing Acacia auriculiformis plantation had the highest soil available P. There were no significant differences in soil N mineralization and nitrification among the forest types, but seasonal variation in these N processes was highly significant. In the rainy season, the rates of N mineralization (7.41–11.3 kg N ha−1 month−1) were similar to values found in regional climax forests, indicating that soil N availability has been well recovered in these forest types. These results suggest that N-fixing species, particularly Acacia mangium, are more efficient in re-establishing the C and N cycling processes in degraded land in southern China. Moreover, the N-fixing species A. auriculiformis performed better than other species in improving soil P availability.

Identification of a new potential Cd-hyperaccumulator Solanum photeinocarpum by soil seed bank-metal concentration gradient method.

A new method, soil seed bank-metal concentration gradient method was used to screen for heavy metal hyperaccumulators, and Solanum photeinocarpum was found to be a potential Cd-hyperaccumulator. The chlorophyll content and photosynthetic rate of S. photeinocarpum were not affected by Cd pollution, while leaf stomas and transpiration rate were significantly decreased by more than 60 mg kg(-1) Cd, and leaf water use efficiency and shoot water content were significantly increased by more than 60 or 100 mg kg(-1) Cd, respectively. In the seed bank-Cd concentration gradient experiment, the shoot biomass of S. photeinocarpum showed no significant reduction with soil Cd treatment as high as 100 mg kg(-1), but the root biomass was significantly reduced by more than 60 mg kg(-1) Cd contamination. Plant tissues accumulated 544, 132 and 158 mg kg(-1) Cd in roots, stems and leaves, respectively, and extracted 157 and 195 μg Cd plant(-1) in roots and shoots at 100 mg kg(-1) Cd in soil, respectively. In the transplanting-Cd concentration gradient experiment, plant shoot biomass and root biomass were unaffected by soil Cd as high as 60 mg kg(-1). Plant tissues accumulated 473, 215 and 251 mg kg(-1) Cd in roots, stems and leaves, respectively, and extracted 176 and 787 μg Cd plant(-1) in roots and shoots at 60 mg kg(-1) soil Cd, respectively. Soil seed bank-metal concentration gradient method could be an effective method for the screening of hyperaccumulators.

Effect of cadmium on growth, photosynthesis, mineral nutrition and metal accumulation of bana grass and vetiver grass

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the differential effects of Cd contamination on the growth, photosynthesis, mineral nutrition and Cd accumulation of bana grass (Pennisetum americanum × Pennisetum purpureum) and vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides). Bana grass accumulated 48-453 and 25-208 mg kg(-1) in plant roots and shoots, respectively, at 15-100 mg kg(-1) soil Cd concentration, while vetiver grass accumulated 167-396 and 0.13-9.0 mg kg(-1). These results indicated that bana grass was a Cd accumulator while vetiver grass was a Cd excluder. The ratio of root to shoot biomass was significantly increased in vetiver grass, while it was unchanged in bana grass by Cd pollution. This suggests that excluders may allocate more energy to roots than shoots under Cd pollution compared to un-contaminated condition, while accumulators may allocate equal proportions of energy to roots and shoots. For bana grass, soil Cd pollution significantly decreased the concentration of Fe and Mn in roots as well as the translocation factors of Zn and K. For vetiver grass, soil Cd pollution significantly decreased the concentration of Fe in roots and had no influence on the translocation factors of Fe, Mn, Cu, Zn, Mg, K and Ca. Soil Cd pollution showed no significant effect on chlorophyll content and photosynthetic rates in either of the grasses. The water content and leaf transpiration rate were significantly increased by Cd pollution in bana grass, while they were unchanged in vetiver grass. The results indicated that the energy allocation and mineral nutrition characteristics may aid in screening suitable plant species for phytoremediation.

Heavy Metal Contamination in Soil and Soybean near the Dabaoshan Mine, South China

Abstract Concentrations of Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, Cr and Ni in soybean (Glycine max L.) grown near the Dabaoshan Mine were investigated, and their potential risk to the health of inhabitants was estimated. In the Fandong (FD) and Zhongxin (ZX) villages, which are near the Dabaoshan mineral deposit, concentrations of Pb (0.34 mg kg−1 for FD), Cd (0.23 mg kg−1 for ZX) and Cr (1.14 and 1.75 mg kg−1 for FD and ZX, respectively) in the seeds of soybean exceeded the tolerance limit set by Chinese standards. The estimated daily intakes (EDIs) from consumption of soybean seeds for FD inhabitants were 0.570, 0.170, 38.550, 142.400, 1.910 and 14.530 μg d−1 kg−1 boby weight for Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn, Cr and Ni, respectively. Our results indicate that soybeans grown in the vicinity of the Dabaoshan Mine accumulate some metals, and the seeds pose a potential health risk to the local inhabitants.

Role of Low-Molecule-Weight Organic Acids and Their Salts in Regulating Soil pH

Abstract The process of organic materials increasing soil pH has not yet been fully understood. This study examined the role of cations and organic anions in regulating soil pH using organic compounds. Calcareous soil, acid soil, and paddy soil were incubated with different simple organic compounds. pH was determined periodically and CO 2 emission was also measured. Mixing organic acids with the soil caused an instant decrease of soil pH. The magnitude of pH decrease depended on the initial soil acidity and dissociation degree of the acids. Decomposition of organic acids could only recover the soil pH to about its original level. Mixing organic salts with soil caused an instant increase of soil pH. Decomposition of organic salts of sodium resulted in a steady increase of soil pH, with final soil pH being about 2.7–3.2 pH units over the control. Organic salts with the same anions (citrate) but different cations led to different magnitudes of pH increase, while those having the same cations but different anions led to very similar pH increases. Organic salts of sodium and sodium carbonate caused very similar pH increases of soil when they were added to the acid soil at equimolar concentrations of Na + . The results suggested that cations played a central role in regulating soil pH. Decarboxylation might only consume a limited number of protons. Conversion of organic salts into inorganic salts (carbonate) was possibly responsible for pH increase during their decomposition, suggesting that only those plant residues containing high excess base cations could actually increase soil pH.

Accumulation and detoxification of cadmium by larvae of Prodenia litura (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) feeding on Cd-enriched amaranth leaves

Cadmium is a potentially toxic and carcinogenic nonessential heavy metal. This study investigated Cd accumulation along the soil-plant (Amaranthus hypochondriacus L.)-insect (Prodenia litura) food chain and the detoxification strategies at different trophic levels. A. hypochondriacus leaves could accumulate high levels of Cd from polluted soil. The Cd concentration in P. litura larvae increased with increasing Cd concentrations in the food plant. Transfer coefficients of Cd were high from soil to leaf and from larvae to feces. The leaves of A. hypochondriacus had the highest value of Cd accumulation in pectates and protein-integrated forms (extracted by 1M NaCl). Among all the subcellular fractions in larvae of P. litura, the heat-stable protein fraction was the dominant metal-binding compartment for Cd. The Cd subcellular level played an important role in Cd sequestration and excretion by P. liura larva feeding on Cd contaminated amaranth leaves. This is the first attempt to account for subcellular distribution associated with Cd in P. litura when interpreting Cd detoxification and transfer along insect food chain.

Effects of understory removal and N-fixing species seeding on soil N2O fluxes in four forest plantations in southern China

Abstract The magnitude, temporal, and spatial patterns of nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes in plantations are still largely unknown; however, they are crucial for our understanding and management of global greenhouse gas emissions. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of forest management practices, such as the understory removal and nitrogen (N)-fixing species (Cassia alata [C. alata]) seeding, on soil N2O fluxes in four forest plantations in southern China. Fluxes of N2O were measured in a Eucalyptus urophylla plantation (EUp), an Acacia crassicarpa plantation (ACp), 10 native species-mixed plantation (Tp), and 30 native species-mixed plantation (THp) by a static chamber method from June 2007 to May 2008 in Guangdong province, China. Four forest management treatments, including understory removal and replacement with C. alata (UR+CA), understory removal only (UR), C. alata seeding only (CA), and (4) control without any disturbances (CK), were applied in the four forest plantations. The results showed that N2O fluxes were higher under UR treatment as compared to CK in EUp (16.9 μg m−2 h−1), ACp (16.3 μg m−2 h−1), Tp (14.4 μg m−2 h−1), and THp (14.4 μg m−2 h−1) during the study period. Soil N2O fluxes under CA treatment tended to be enhanced in EUp (18.1 μg m−2 h−1), ACp (18.3 μg m−2 h−1), Tp (19 μg m−2 h−1), and THp (16.6 μg m−2 h−1), having higher values in CA than in CK. There were positive relationships between N2O fluxes and soil temperature (P < 0.01), soil moisture (P < 0.01), and nitrate (NO3)–N concentrations (P < 0.05). Our results indicated that soil NO3–N, soil temperature, and moisture are the primary controlling variables for soil N2O fluxes. The present study improved our understanding of soil N2O fluxes in forest plantations under different management practices.