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Pollution of intensively managed greenhouse soils by nutrients and heavy metals in the Yellow River Irrigation Region, Northwest China

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Abstract

The present study aimed to assess the potential ecological risk of heavy metals and nutrient accumulation in polytunnel greenhouse soils in the Yellow River irrigation region (YRIR), Northwest China, and to identify the potential sources of these heavy metals using principal component analysis. Contents of available nitrogen (AN), phosphorus (AP), and potassium (AK) in the surface polytunnel greenhouse soils (0–20 cm) varied from 13.42 to 486.78, from 39.10 to 566.97, and from 21.64 to 1,156.40 mg kg−1, respectively, as well as AP, soil organic matter (SOM) and AK contents tended to increase significantly at the 0–20- and 20–40-cm soil layers. Heavy metal accumulations occurred in the polytunnel greenhouse soils as compared to arable soils, especially at a depth of 20 cm where Cd, Zn and Cu contents were significantly higher than arable soil. Cd and As were found to be the two main polluting elements in the greenhouse soils because their contents exceeded the thresholds established for greenhouse vegetable production HJ333-2006 in China and the background of Gansu province. It has been shown that Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn at the 0–20-cm soil layer were derived mainly from agricultural production activities, whereas contents of Cr and Ni at the same soil layer were determined by ‘natural’ factors and As originated from natural sources, deposition and irrigation water.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 31071866) and the Scientific Research Project of the Department of Agriculture and animal husbandry of Gansu province (Grant No. 2012-47).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Grassland and Agro-Ecosystems, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, 222 Tianshui Road, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Xiaole Kong, Jing Cao, Rangyun Tang, Shengqiang Zhang & Fang Dong

  2. Gansu Key Laboratory of Biomonitoring and Bioremediation for Environmental Pollution, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Jing Cao

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  1. Xiaole Kong
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Correspondence to Jing Cao.

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Kong, X., Cao, J., Tang, R. et al. Pollution of intensively managed greenhouse soils by nutrients and heavy metals in the Yellow River Irrigation Region, Northwest China. Environ Monit Assess 186, 7719–7731 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-014-3962-8

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