Li-Li Wang

Health risk of heavy metals in food crops grown on reclaimed tidal flat soil in the Pearl River Estuary, China

The health risks of heavy metals to local residents via consumption of food crops cultivated in the reclaimed soils of the Pearl River Estuary (PRE) were investigated. Soils in the river estuary were found to be significantly contaminated with heavy metals, with mean concentrations of Cd, 0.858; Pb, 48.7; Cr, 112.4; Cu, 57.3; Zn, 210.8; and Ni, 40.0 mg kg(-1). Rice and root vegetables were also polluted severely. The percentages of rice samples that exceeded the maximum allowable levels were 94.3, 91.4, 88.6, and 17.1% for Pb, Cr, Cd, and Cu, respectively. The accumulation factor (AF) of Cd was the highest compared with the other five metals. The total values of the health risk index (HRI) of Cd and Cu from all the crops were 3.683 and 1.665, respectively. They exceeded considerably the allowable level 1.0. The HRI values of all the metals were mostly from rice consumption. These results suggest that more attention should be directed to the potential health risks of heavy metals to residents living in the tidal flat reclaimed areas.

The behavior of heavy metals in tidal flat sediments during fresh water leaching.

Many of the coastal tidal flats in China that were polluted with heavy metals are now being reclaimed for arable land. The safety of these soils for agriculture is of great concern. The present study investigated the sediment chemical properties, concentrations, and speciation of heavy metals at different levels of desalination during a controlled leaching experiment. After leaching with fresh water, the average reductions in the heavy metal species examined in 0-65 cm depth sediment were 32.1% for Pb, 26.2% for Cd, 14.0% for Zn, 13.8% for Cu, and 11.0% for Cr, while the Ni concentration in sediment did not change significantly. The amounts of Cd, Pb, Cr, Cu, and Zn bound to the reducible fraction, the amounts of Cd, Pb, and Zn bound to the exchangeable fraction, the amounts of Pb, Cr, Cu, and Zn associated with the carbonate fraction, and the Cu associated with the oxidizable fraction all decreased significantly. Complexation with salt anions, ion exchange between the cations and the metal ions, removal of SO4(2-), dissolution of carbonate, and the redox potential variations all contributed to the decreases in Pb, Cd, Zn, Cu, and Cr. These results suggest that leaching with fresh water can also remove a fraction of the heavy metal contamination when it diminishes sediment salinity.

Phytoavailability of heavy metals in tidal flat soils after fresh water leaching.

The phytoavailability of Cd, Pb, Cr, Zn, Cu, and Ni, retained in tidal flat soil after fresh water leaching during reclamation was investigated. Two salt-tolerant varieties of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) and edible amaranth (Amaranthus mangostanus L.) were planted in soils having eight different desalination levels (from 6.7 to 1.4 g kg(-1) salinity) using pot experiments. Soil leaching significantly decreased the uptake of all metals by crop roots except for Ni. The reduction of soil salinity and exchangeable fraction content of Cd and Pb after leaching contributed to the decrease of uptake of metals by roots. All heavy metal concentrations in the edible parts of both crops in the two lowest salinity level treatments were lower than their maximum allowable levels in food. Results suggest that reclamation of tidal flats can reduce the phytoavailability of the heavy metals retained in soil. But the soil heavy metals may still pose health risks in the cultivation of root food crops.

Response of edible amaranth cultivar to salt stress led to Cd mobilization in rhizosphere soil: A metabolomic analysis

The present study aimed to investigate the metabolic response of edible amaranth cultivars to salt stress and the induced rhizosphere effects on Cd mobilization in soil. Two edible amaranth cultivars (Amaranthus mangostanus L.), Quanhong (low-Cd accumulator; LC) and Liuye (high-Cd accumulator; HC), were subject to salinity treatment in both soil and hydroponic cultures. The total amount of mobilized Cd in rhizosphere soil under salinity treatment increased by 2.78-fold in LC cultivar and 4.36-fold in HC cultivar compared with controls, with 51.2% in LC cultivar and 80.5% in HC cultivar being attributed to biological mobilization of salinity. Multivariate statistical analysis generated from metabolite profiles in both rhizosphere soil and root revealed clear discrimination between control and salt treated samples. Tricarboxylic acid cycle in root was up-regulated to cope with salinity treatment, which promoted release of organic acids from root. The increased accumulation of organic acids in rhizosphere under salt stress obviously promoted soil Cd mobility. These results suggested that salinity promoted release of organic acids from root and enhanced soil Cd mobilization and accumulation in edible amaranth cultivar in soil culture.

Low-Cd tomato cultivars (Solanum lycopersicum L.) screened in non-saline soils also accumulated low Cd, Zn, and Cu in heavy metal-polluted saline soils

Many reclaimed tidal flat soils feature high salinity and heavy metal (HM) accumulation. Consumption of vegetables cultivated in this type of cropland may cause health risks. Low-Cd tomato cultivars (Solanum lycopersicum L.) were identified in non-saline soil in our previous studies (Tan et al. 2014). However, further research should determine whether these low-Cd cultivars will maintain in the repeatability and stability in saline soil and whether they have low accumulation abilities for accompanying metals (such as Zn and Cu). A soil-pot trial was implemented to measure Cd, Zn, and Cu concentrations in low- and high-Cd cultivars of both common and cherry-type tomatoes grown on HM-polluted reclaimed tidal flat saline soil. Then, cultivar differences in dissolution of Cd, Zn, and Cu in soil and their uptake and redistribution in plants were analyzed. Results showed that the cherry type accumulated more Cd, Zn, and Cu than the common type. Low-Cd cultivars of both types in saline soil accumulated low concentrations of Cd, Zn, and Cu in fruits. Low HM accumulation in fruits is partly attributed to a low root/shoot (R/S) biomass ratio. Low amounts of soil HMs were dissolved because of the low level of rhizosphere organic compounds, which possibly decreased HM uptake by the roots. Low-Cd cultivars of both tomato types had a higher ability to retain HMs in the roots than their high-Cd cultivars. These findings may provide a scientific guidance for the safe cultivation of HM-polluted saline soils.

Effect of Phosphate-Solubilizing Bacteria on the Mobility of Insoluble Cadmium and Metabolic Analysis

Phosphate-solubilizing bacteria (PSB) can promote plant growth by dissolving insoluble phosphate. Therefore, PSB may have the potential to improve the mobility of heavy metals in soils and enhance phytoextraction. This study isolated a few PSB strains that could dissolve CdCO3 and solid Cd in soil. Two typical PSB, namely, high- and low-Cd-mobilizing PSB (Pseudomonas fluorescens gim-3 and Bacillus cereus qh-35, respectively), were selected to analyze the metabolic profiles, metabolic pathways, and mechanisms of mobilization of insoluble Cd. A total of 34 metabolites secreted by the two PSB strains were identified. Gluconic acid was the main contributor to Cd dissolution (42.4%) in high-Cd-mobilizing PSB. By contrast, gluconic acid was not secreted in low-Cd-mobilizing PSB. Metabolic pathway analysis showed that gluconic acid was produced by the peripheral direct oxidation pathway. Hence, PSB with peripheral direct oxidation pathway were likely to have high-Cd-mobilizing capacity.

Exogenous Glycinebetaine Promotes Soil Cadmium Uptake by Edible Amaranth Grown during Subtropical Hot Season

Exogenous glycinebetaine treatment is an effective measure for preventing crops from being exposed to drought and high temperature; however, the effects of this approach on the soil Cd uptake and accumulation by crops remain unclear. Pot experiments were conducted in this study to analyze the effect of glycinebetaine on the soil Cd uptake and accumulation by edible amaranth cultivated in Cd-contaminated soil. Results revealed that after exogenous glycinebetaine treatment on amaranth leaves during the vigorous growth period, the plant biomass, the Cd concentrations in the roots and shoots, and the Cd translocation factor (TF) were significantly higher than those of the control group. The highest Cd concentrations in the roots and shoots and the TF were higher by 91%, 96% and 23.8%, respectively, than the corresponding values in the control group. In addition, exogenous glycinebetaine treatment significantly increased leaf chlorophyll content and promoted the photosynthesis of edible amaranth. Consequently, the contents of soluble sugar, dissolved organic carbon, and low-molecular-weight organic acids significantly increased in the rhizosphere, resulting in Cd mobilization. Significant positive correlations were observed among the contents of leaf chlorophyll, Mg, Fe, pectin and Ca. Given that Cd shares absorption and translocation channels with these elements, we speculated that the increased leaf chlorophyll and pectin contents promoted the absorption and accumulation of Mg, Fe and Ca, which further promoted the absorption and translocation of Cd. These results indicated that exogenous glycinebetaine treatment during hot season would aggravate the health risks of crops grown in Cd-contaminated soils.