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Agronomy
Special Issues
Heavy Metal Pollution and Prevention in Agricultural Soils
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Heavy Metal Pollution and Prevention in Agricultural Soils

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil and Plant Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2025 | Viewed by 3425

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Bo Xu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Interests: soil heavy metal pollution and prevention

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The rapid advancement of industrialization has significantly worsened environmental degradation, with human activities contributing to substantial heavy metal infiltration into farmland soils. Consequently, crops absorb and accumulate these harmful metals during their growth. Over time, these metals can build up in the human body, potentially causing severe health issues and posing a long-term threat to human well-being. Remediating and managing farmland soils with light to moderate heavy metal pollution presents unique challenges. The primary difficulty lies in balancing the preservation of arable land with the minimization of metal accumulation in crops. Although extensive research has yielded some practical interim results, many issues persist due to objective constraints, necessitating further exploration.

This Special Issue aims to explore in depth how to restrict heavy metal activity in farmland soils and reduce heavy metal accumulation in crops. Through this Special Issue, we hope to provide references and guidance for the safe utilization of farmland soils contaminated by heavy metals.

Dr. Bo Xu
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • heavy metals
  • accumulation
  • translocation
  • agricultural soil
  • soil remediation
  • hazards and impacts
  • crops

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 6353 KiB  
Article
Effects of Wood Ash Fertilizer on Element Dynamics in Soil Solution and Crop Uptake
by Chuanzhen Jian, Toru Hamamoto, Chihiro Inoue, Mei-Fang Chien, Hiroshi Naganuma, Takehito Mori, Akihiro Sawada, Masafumi Hidaka, Hiroyuki Setoyama and Tomoyuki Makino
Agronomy 2025, 15(5), 1097; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15051097 - 30 Apr 2025
Viewed by 221
Abstract
Wood ash, a byproduct of woody biomass power generation, has potential as an alternative K fertilizer due to its high K content and pH-raising properties. However, concerns remain about heavy metal contaminants like Cr and the limited understanding of element dynamics in soil–solution–crop [...] Read more.
Wood ash, a byproduct of woody biomass power generation, has potential as an alternative K fertilizer due to its high K content and pH-raising properties. However, concerns remain about heavy metal contaminants like Cr and the limited understanding of element dynamics in soil–solution–crop systems after wood ash’s application. This study examined the effects of 1% (w/w) wood ash on element dynamics and komatsuna (Brassica rapa var. perviridis) uptake in low-K soil through a pot experiment. XRD was used to analyze mineral composition, SEM-EDS to observe surface and elemental properties, and XANES to examine Cr speciation in wood ash. Soil solution analysis covered macro- and micronutrients, heavy metals, anions, pH, and DOC, while crop element concentrations and aboveground dry weight were also quantified. The chemical speciation of Cu and Cr in a soil solution was modeled using Visual MINTEQ. Wood ash significantly increased K concentrations (from 17 mg/L to 650 mg/L) in the soil solution, along with Ca, Mg, P, and Mo, while reducing Ni, Mn, Zn, and Cd levels. Komatsuna K uptake surged from 123 mg/kg to 559 mg/kg, leading to a 3.31-fold biomass increase. Notably, the Cd concentration in the crops dropped significantly from 0.709 to 0.057 mg/kg, well below the Codex standard of 0.2 mg/kg. Although Cu and Cr concentrations rose in the soil solution, crop uptake remained low due to >99% complexation with fulvic acid, as confirmed by Visual MINTEQ modeling. This study confirms that wood ash is an effective K fertilizer, but emphasizes the need for risk mitigation strategies to ensure safe and sustainable agricultural application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Pollution and Prevention in Agricultural Soils)
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16 pages, 2691 KiB  
Article
Heavy Metals Distribution and Source Identification in Contaminated Agricultural Soils: Isotopic and Multi-Model Analysis
by Tingting Mu, Benyi Cao, Min Yang, Xinhong Gan, Lin Chen, Xiaohan Wang, Ming Li, Yuanyuan Lu and Jian Xu
Agronomy 2025, 15(4), 812; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15040812 - 26 Mar 2025
Viewed by 364
Abstract
Heavy metal pollution in agricultural soil has been tightly associated with anthropogenic emissions. Although there are many studies that focus on a regional scale, the source identification of heavy metal contamination on a field scale around industrial areas remains unclear. The average concentrations [...] Read more.
Heavy metal pollution in agricultural soil has been tightly associated with anthropogenic emissions. Although there are many studies that focus on a regional scale, the source identification of heavy metal contamination on a field scale around industrial areas remains unclear. The average concentrations in topsoils of Hg, Cd, As, Pb, Cr, Ni, Zn, and Cu were 2.07, 0.13, 8.56, 42.3, 81.1, 37.3, 105, and 43.8 mg kg−1, respectively. The enrichment of Hg was particularly presented on topsoils, with the highest single pollution index (Pi) (9.00) and ecological risk index (Eri) (922) values. An integrated methodology was employed in source identification of heavy metals contamination, especially for Hg, including Pearson’s and PCA analysis, soil profile morphology, mathematical modeling, and Hg isotope analysis. Results revealed that the concentrations of Hg decreased as a function of depth, suggesting Hg contamination was an anthropogenic source and can be supported by Hg isotope analysis. The negative Δ199Hg values of the residual Hg (F4-Hg) and soil profile in 80–100 cm deviate from those of the soil profiles in 0–80 cm, indicating exogenous input of Hg occurred in the study area. According to the UNMIX model, the contribution of coal combustion, agricultural activities, parent material, and industrial/traffic emissions to Hg accumulation in soils were 66.2%, 16.9%, 9.81%, and 7.0%, respectively. However, the contribution rates calculated with the PMF model of mixed industrial source, traffic emissions, and parent material were 71.4%, 27.8%, and 0.8%, respectively. This study can accurately quantify and identify the factors contributing to heavy metal contamination in agricultural soil on a field scale. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Pollution and Prevention in Agricultural Soils)
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22 pages, 19774 KiB  
Article
A Fusion XGBoost Approach for Large-Scale Monitoring of Soil Heavy Metal in Farmland Using Hyperspectral Imagery
by Xuqing Li, Huitao Gu, Ruiyin Tang, Bin Zou, Xiangnan Liu, Huiping Ou, Xuying Chen, Yubin Song, Wei Luo and Bin Wen
Agronomy 2025, 15(3), 676; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15030676 - 11 Mar 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 622
Abstract
Heavy metal pollution of farmland is worsened by the excessive introduction of heavy metal elements into soil systems, posing a substantial threat for global food security and human health. The traditional laboratory-based methods for monitoring soil heavy metals are limited for large-scale applications, [...] Read more.
Heavy metal pollution of farmland is worsened by the excessive introduction of heavy metal elements into soil systems, posing a substantial threat for global food security and human health. The traditional laboratory-based methods for monitoring soil heavy metals are limited for large-scale applications, while hyperspectral imagery data-based methods still face accuracy challenges. Therefore, a fusion XGBoost model based on the superposition of ensemble learning and packaging methods is proposed for large-scale monitoring with high accuracy of soil heavy metal using hyperspectral imagery. We took Xiong’an New Area, Hebei Province, as the study area, and acquired heavy metal content using chemical analysis. The XGB-Boruta-PCC algorithm was used for precise feature selection to obtain the final modeled spectral response features. On this basis, the performance indicators of the Optuna-optimized XGBoost model were compared with traditional linear and nonlinear models. The optimal model was extended to the entire region for drawing the spatial distribution map of soil heavy metal content. The results suggested that the XGB-Boruta-PCC method effectively achieved double dimensionality reduction of high-dimensional hyperspectral data, extracting spectral response features with a high contribution, which, combined with the XGBoost model, exhibited greater general estimation accuracies for heavy metal (Pb) in farmland (i.e., Pb: R2 = 0.82, RMSE = 11.58, MAE = 9.89). The results of the mapping indicated that there were exceedances for the southwest and parts of the west over the research region. Factories and human activities were the potential causes of heavy metal Pb contamination in farmland. In conclusion, this innovative method can quickly and accurately achieve monitoring large-scale soil heavy metal contamination in farmland, with ZY-1-02E spaceborne hyperspectral imagery proving to be a reliable tool for mapping soil heavy metal in farmland. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Pollution and Prevention in Agricultural Soils)
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13 pages, 1382 KiB  
Article
Evaluating the Level of Total Mercury Present in the Soils of a Renowned Tea Production Region
by Jinghua Xu, Ruijia Xie, Liping Liu and Zhiqun Huang
Agronomy 2025, 15(2), 435; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15020435 - 10 Feb 2025
Viewed by 641
Abstract
Total mercury pollution in oolong tea garden soils was comprehensively investigated in this study. Soil samples were collected from 146 villages in a famous oolong tea production area. The total mercury content in the soils ranged from 0.025 to 0.296 mg/kg, with a [...] Read more.
Total mercury pollution in oolong tea garden soils was comprehensively investigated in this study. Soil samples were collected from 146 villages in a famous oolong tea production area. The total mercury content in the soils ranged from 0.025 to 0.296 mg/kg, with a median of 0.105 mg/kg. According to the Soil Accumulation Index Method, 67.81% of samples were pollution-free, 31.51% had pollution levels from none to moderate, and 0.68% were moderately polluted. The PMF model revealed that natural geochemical processes were the main mercury source, contributing 72.4%, with some from transportation, coal combustion, and industrial activities. Most values were below the HQ threshold, suggesting low non-carcinogenic risk from mercury in most soils. Further research is needed to understand mercury’s bioaccumulation in tea leaves and assess short- and long-term exposure risks for a better understanding of its long-term impacts on the tea industry and human health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Pollution and Prevention in Agricultural Soils)
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20 pages, 2718 KiB  
Article
Protective Role of Triacontanol (Myricyl Alcohol) Towards the Nutrients Uptake and Growth in Brassica rapa L. Under Cadmium Stress
by Shakil Ahmed, Aleeza Akram, Rehana Sardar, Nasim Ahmad Yasin, Mariam Fatima, Muhammad Jabbar and Maximilian Lackner
Agronomy 2024, 14(12), 2916; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14122916 - 6 Dec 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 843
Abstract
Agricultural soil contaminated with heavy metals gradually affects crop yield and its quality. Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal that severely affects crop yield, such as Brassica rapa L. (turnip), which is grown in arid and semiarid regions worldwide. It also affects seed [...] Read more.
Agricultural soil contaminated with heavy metals gradually affects crop yield and its quality. Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal that severely affects crop yield, such as Brassica rapa L. (turnip), which is grown in arid and semiarid regions worldwide. It also affects seed germination and seedling development. The exogenous application of triacontanol (Tria, C30H61OH) has the potential to alleviate heavy metal-induced toxic effects and promote crop yield even in contaminated environments. Therefore, in the present work, Tria was tested to lessen the toxicity of Cd to turnip plants. The current study aimed to determine how seed priming and foliar application of Tria (10 and 20 ppm) influence the morphophysiological and yield characteristics of turnip plants under Cd-induced growth inhibition. Cd reduced turnip growth by affecting its morphology, biomass, and yield parameters. On the other hand, Tria at 20 ppm via SP+FS (seed priming + foliar spray) enhanced plant growth by increasing its root and leaf fresh weight by 80 and 54%, Chl a (59%), Chl b (27%), phenolic content (39%), and mineral contents of Mg (60%) and K (39%) compared with those in the plants treated with only Cd. DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) activity was enhanced by up to 48% and ascorbic acid content by up to 96% in Cd-treated plants. These findings suggest that Tria application via both methods improved turnip yield by increasing tolerance to Cd toxicity. Therefore, this study paves the way for further exploration into a very cheap and economical way of enhancing crop production against Cd stress for farmers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Heavy Metal Pollution and Prevention in Agricultural Soils)
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