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ARS Home » Southeast Area » New Orleans, Louisiana » Southern Regional Research Center » Commodity Utilization Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #369220
Research Project: Developing Technologies that Enable Growth and Profitability in the Commercial Conversion of Sugarcane, Sweet Sorghum, and Energy Beets into Sugar, Advanced Biofuels, and bioproducts-Bridging Project

Location: Commodity Utilization Research

Title: Effect of amendments on soil Cd sorption and trophic transfer of Cd and mineral nutrition along the food chain

Author
item WANG, YIMIN - Hohai University
item TANG, DOU-DOU - Chinese Academy Of Sciences
item YUAN, XU-YIN - Chinese Academy Of Sciences
item Uchimiya, Sophie
item LI, JI-ZHOU - Chinese Academy Of Sciences
item LI, ZHEN-YU - Chinese Academy Of Sciences
item LUO, ZI-CHENG - Chinese Academy Of Sciences
item XU, ZE-WEN - Hohai University
item SUN, SHI-GE - Hohai University

Submitted to: Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/3/2019
Publication Date: 2/1/2020
Citation: Wang, Y.-M., Tang, D.-D., Yuan, X.-Y., Uchimiya, M., Li, J.-Z., Li, Z.-Y., Luo, Z.-C., Xu, Z.-W., Sun, S.-G. 2020. Effect of amendments on soil Cd sorption and trophic transfer of Cd and mineral nutrition along the food chain. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 189. Article 110045. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.110045.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2019.110045

Interpretive Summary: There are numerous publications that tested sorption of heavy metals in the presence of soil amendments such as biochar and apatite. However, it is unknown how heavy metal speciation impacts the uptake by food crops, and the accumulation in different plant parts. In addition, heavy metals could adversely impact the uptake of beneficial elements such as calcium and silicon. Results in this study indicated that phosphorus (in apatite), rather than carbon (in biochar) amendment offers beneficial accumulation of structural elements, while mitigating the metal toxicity.

Technical Abstract: Phytotoxicity of cadmium (Cd) and its trophic transfer along a terrestrial food chain have been extensively investigated. However, few studies focused on the role of amendments on the trophic transfer of Cd and associated nutrient elements. In a 60-day pot experiment, soil Cd availability, accumulation of Cd, Ca and Si in lettuce, and subsequent trophic transfer along lettuce-snail system were investigated with or without 3% (w/w) soil amendment (biochar or µHAP). Soil CaCl2 extractable Cd (CdCaCl2) contents decreased by both amendments. The µHAP increased the Freundlich adsorption capacity of Cd2+ to a greater extent (15.9 mmol/kg) than biochar (12.6 mmol/kg). Cd, Ca and Si accumulation in lettuce tissues (roots and shoots) varied with amendment species and soil Cd levels. Linear regression analysis showed that root Cd contents are negatively correlated with root Ca and Si contents (R2 = 0.962, p < 0.05). After 15 days snail feeding, nearly 90% content of Cd was found in snail viscera, while nearly 95% content of Ca was found in snail shells. Contents of Si distributed equally in snail tissues. Biomaganification of Cd, Ca and Si (TF > 1) was found in lettuce shoot - snail viscera system. Opposite tendency of TF values between Cd and nutrient elements (Ca and Si) from shoots to snail tissues indicated that µHAP, rather than biochar, amendment is applicable to remediate soil Cd contamination in our study.