Division for Marine and Environmental Research, Ruđer Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia.
Department of Geology, Faculty of Science, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia.
PeerJ. 2023 Sep 18;11:e15904. doi: 10.7717/peerj.15904. eCollection 2023.
This article presents a detailed analysis of a dataset consisting of 27 elements found in soils, soil eluates, and vegetables from private gardens in a region with a long history of coal mining and burning. With coal being one of the world's most significant energy sources, and previous studies highlighting elevated element levels in vegetables from this region, the objective of this study was to identify the factors that impact soil geochemistry and metal(loid) uptake in plants.
Total major and trace element concentrations were analyzed in soils, soil eluates and vegetables by high resolution inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The vegetable samples included six species: fennel, garlic, lettuce, parsley, onion, and radicchio. Each plant was divided into roots, stems, leaves, and/or bulbs and analyzed separately. In addition, the soil pollution status, bioavailable fractions and transfer factors from soil and soil eluates to different plant parts were determined.
The comprehensive dataset revealed that, apart from the substrate enriched with various elements (Al, As, Co, Cr, Mo, Ni, Pb, Sb, Sn, Ti, U, V, and Zn), other anthropogenic factors such as the legacy of coal mining and combustion activities, associated industries in the area, transport, and agricultural practices, also influence the elevated element concentrations (Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, and Se) in locally grown vegetables. The transfer factors based on element concentrations in aqueous soil eluates and element bioavailable fractions confirmed to be an effective tool for evaluating metal uptake in plants, emphazising to some extent the effects of plant species and revealing unique patterns for each pollution source within its environmental context (, Cd, Mo, S, and Se in this case). The study highlights the crucial importance of utilizing comprehensive datasets that encompass a multitude of factors when interpreting the impacts of element uptake in edible plants.
本文对一个数据集进行了详细分析，该数据集包含 27 种元素，这些元素存在于一个历史悠久的采煤和燃煤地区私人花园的土壤、土壤浸提液和蔬菜中。煤炭是世界上最重要的能源之一，之前的研究强调了该地区蔬菜中的元素水平升高，因此本研究的目的是确定影响土壤地球化学和金属（类）在植物中吸收的因素。
通过高分辨率电感耦合等离子体质谱法分析土壤、土壤浸提液和蔬菜中的主要和微量元素的总浓度。蔬菜样品包括 6 个品种：茴香、大蒜、生菜、欧芹、洋葱和菊苣。每种植物分为根、茎、叶和/或鳞茎，并分别进行分析。此外，还确定了土壤污染状况、土壤和土壤浸提液中生物可利用部分以及向不同植物部位的转移因子。
综合数据集显示，除了富含各种元素（Al、As、Co、Cr、Mo、Ni、Pb、Sb、Sn、Ti、U、V 和 Zn）的基质外，其他人为因素，如采煤和燃烧活动的遗留物、该地区的相关产业、运输和农业实践，也会影响当地种植蔬菜中元素浓度升高（Cd、Cu、Fe、Mn 和 Se）。基于水相土壤浸提液中元素浓度和元素生物可利用部分的转移因子被证实是评估植物金属吸收的有效工具，在一定程度上强调了植物物种的影响，并揭示了每种污染源在其环境背景下（在这种情况下为 Cd、Mo、S 和 Se）的独特模式。该研究强调了在解释食用植物中元素吸收的影响时，利用包含多种因素的综合数据集的重要性。
