Search

The effects of long-term soil fertilizations on nutrient and non-essential element concentrations in edible parts of three crops important in human diet were investigated repeating four treatments (biowaste compost, biowaste compost plus mineral nitrogen, mineral NPK, unfertilized control) for seven consecutive years (2007-2014). Fruits of Solanum lycopersicum cv San Marzano collected in 2011 and 2012, bulbs of Allium cepa cv Bianca di Pompei collected in 2012 and 2013, and bulbs of Foeniculum vulgare cv Orbit collected in 2014 were analyzed. Wide variations in element concentrations were observed along time and among species, with Ca, K, Mg, and Na higher in fennel bulbs and Cd, Cr, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn higher in tomato fruits, where Cd reached concentrations up to ninefold higher than the permitted values (EU Regulation n. 488/2014). Despite the enrichments in soil total Cu and available Cd, Fe, K, Mn, and Zn concentrations due to long-term fertilization with biowaste compost (alone or with mineral fertilizers), plants showed lower micronutrient and non-essential element concentrations in respect to those on unfertilized soils. Considering the potential toxicity for human beings of these mobile and persistent elements, the obtained findings reassure on the safe use of biowaste compost in agriculture. Overall, this study suggests the use of compost as the most advisable fertilization practice and highlights the need of multiple crops analysis in evaluating the effects of long-term soil fertilization on their chemical composition.

Plant biodiversity and intra-population genetic variability have not yet been properly exploited in the framework of phytoremediation and soil reclamation. For this reason, iron and other metal accumulation capacity of two Cu and Zn tolerant poplar clones, namely AL22 (Populus alba L.) and N12 (Populus nigra L.), was investigated in a pot experiment. Cuttings of the two clones were planted in iron rich soil collected from an urban-industrial area. Concentrations of Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb and Zn were analysed in leaves (at different times), as well as in stems and in roots (at the end of the experiment), both in control plants and in plants grown on a soil whose Fe availability was artificially enhanced. Results showed that Cd and Zn were preferentially accumulated in leaves, whereas Cu, Fe and Pb were mainly accumulated in roots. The main differences in metal accumulation between clones were related to Cd (about tenfold higher concentrations in N12) and Cu (higher concentrations in AL22). Once soil Fe availability was enhanced, the uptake and accumulation of all metals declined, with the exception of Fe at the first sampling time in AL22 leaves. The different behaviour of the two poplar clones suggests that a thoughtful choice should be made for their use in relation to soil heavy metal remediation., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The temporal dynamics of some trace elements in two different types of Mediterranean soils were studied in order to evaluate the possible long-term contamination following compost amendments. Total and available (DTPA-extractable) concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn were determined. The study was carried out on two agricultural soils in Campania region (southern Italy), a Sandy Loam Calcaric Cambisol (SG) and a Clay Gleyc Luvisol (CO), during 3 years of organic amendment with compost. The compost, produced from the organic fraction of municipal solid waste and urban yard trimmings, in accordance with the Italian law for agricultural use, was applied at annually rates of 15, 30, and 45 t ha(-1) (on dry weight basis). Wide variations in total and available Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn concentrations were observed over time, but appeared to be in many cases unrelated to the treatments, occurring also in control plots. After 3 years of compost application the amended SG soil showed the highest and significant increase in total Cd and Zn concentrations; in addition, the available Cd, Pb and Zn concentrations increased in accordance with the compost rates. The CO soil, characterized by a higher clay content, lower organic matter content and lower cation exchange capacity, exhibited a lower increase in available metal fractions. Our findings show that compost amendment affects more the available than the total metal concentrations in the two types of soils studied and thus it is important into legislation that metal "bioavailability" may be considered in defining threshold metal values., (Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Total concentrations of Cd, Cr, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn were compared from October 1996 to April 1998 in Physcia biziana (Massal.) Zhalbr. v. leptophylla Vezda and in the bark of Quercus ilex L. sampled from the same trees at an urban park. Trace metal concentrations were also measured in the bark covered by the lichen thalli. The lichens showed significantly higher Cr, Fe, Ni and Zn concentrations than both uncovered and covered barks. By contrast, both types of barks had higher concentrations of Cd and Pb than lichens. Trace elements showed a wide temporal variation of concentrations both in the lichens and barks. No relationship was found between the analysed matrices as regards the time course of trace element concentrations.

Surface soils and one-year-old Quercus ilex L. leaves were investigated for element concentrations to evaluate the air quality of some sites in Campania (Southern Italy). Sampling was carried out at 7 natural and 7 urban sites from September 1998 to February 1999. The investigated elements were Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, V and Zn. At the urban sites, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni and Pb Leaf concentrations were on average two fold higher than at the natural sites. Cu, Pb and Zn soil concentrations were also higher at the urban sites. On the contrary, Cd, Cr and Mn soil concentrations were significantly lower than at the natural sites. Leaf and soil element concentrations were positively correlated for Cu and Pb, and negatively correlated for Cr. Both leaves and soil element accumulations showed a conspicuous deposition of Cu, Pb and Zn at the urban sites of Campania.

Abstract: A bioaccumulation study was performed on Lake Averno, a volcanic lake close to Naples (southern Italy), to ascertain the degree of trace element contamination. Good information to assess spatial gradients of Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, V and Zn contamination was provided by analysing Phragmites communis roots, Najas marina shoots, Potamogeton pectinatus leaves and surface sediments of Lake Averno collected from July 1999 to July 2000 at three sites in the littoral zone. The highest concentrations of the trace elements were measured in sediments and plants from the site where a nearby sewage outfall channel reaches the lake, the lowest at the site below woodland. Significant correlations were found between sediment and plant element concentrations. For almost all the elements, values 2–4-fold higher were found for the site affected by the sewage effluent. Among the plant species, Ph. communis is the most useful species in biomonitoring studies due to its ability to accumulate trace elements in the roots and its collectability throughout the year. Given the absence of systematic water quality monitoring, trace elements in plants, rather than sediments, provide a cost-effective means for assessing trace element accumulation in aquatic systems during plant organ lifespan. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The concentrations of four macroelements (C, N, P, S) and eight trace metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn) were measured in the leaves and roots of the emergent plant, Phragmites communis Trin., and in the shoots and roots of the submersed Najas marina L., taken from Lake Averno (Naples, Italy). Phragmites communis leaves showed higher concentrations of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus than roots, while the roots exhibited significantly higher concentrations of sulphur and trace metals. Najas marina roots also showed higher concentrations of sulphur and trace metals than shoots, but these differences were less marked than in Phragmites communis except for sulphur. Sulphur was the only macronutrient to show the highest concentrations in the roots. Phragmites communis roots had higher values of Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn and Ni than Najas marina roots. By contrast, Cd, Cr, Fe, Ni, Pb and Zn concentrations were higher in Najas marina shoots than in Phragmites communis leaves. Phragmites communis, available through the year, showing high capability to accumulate trace metals in the roots, appears a good monitor of lake contamination, better than Najas marina. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Specific industrial activities locally affect As, Mn, Ni and Pb air concentrations. • In urban sites diffuse pollution sources determine high concentrations of several PTEs. • Remote areas are affected by high Cd air concentrations. • Air PTE concentrations are decreasing, as generally observed in Europe. Reconstructing spatial and temporal pollution gradients in natural and anthropogenic areas is of paramount importance to undertake proper mitigation strategies. To this end, air biomonitoring based on chemical analysis of selected bioaccumulators, provides useful information not only on the pollutant concentration gradients, but also on their possible effects on biota and ecosystems. The analysis of 18 potentially toxic elements (PTEs), namely macronutrients (Ca, K, Mg, P, S), micronutrients (Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Na, Ni, V, Zn) and non-essential elements (Al, As, Cd, Pb), in Quercus ilex leaves collected from 26 sites belonging to remote, residential, urban and industrial areas of Salerno, in the Mediterranean area, provided accurate information on spatial and temporal air pollution gradients, as well as on the plant nutritional status within the whole area. Despite the adequate nutritional status of plants in all the site typologies, several criticalities were highlighted. Specifically, on a natural background contamination by Na (due to the sea proximity), Al and V (due to the lithological characteristics) of the whole area, anthropogenic activities were responsible for relatively high concentrations of selected PTEs in the different site typologies. Remote sites were affected by high Cd concentrations, due to the transport of fine particulate from urban or industrial areas. Urban (and to a lesser extent residential) sites were affected by high concentrations of most PTEs, mainly released by diffuse sources, such as vehicular traffic. Exceedingly high concentrations of As, Mn, Ni and Pb were observed in industrial sites, in relation to local and specific emissions. Anyway, an overall decrease, consistent with the general temporal trends observed in Europe in the last years, was observed in several PTE concentrations for all the site typologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concentrations of Cd, Cr, Cu and Pb were measured in leaves of Quercus ilex L. and in the soils collected from 15 sites of the Campania Region of Italy of two different typologies (anthropic and remote), in order to evaluate: (1) the effect of translocation and/or direct deposition from air on leaf element concentrations; and (2) the suitability of the studied matrices as pollution monitors. The available fractions of the studied elements in the soils were also measured. The accumulation factor (anthropic/remote sites) was calculated to evaluate the element accumulation, both in leaves and soils, at the anthropic sites compared to the remote sites. The concentration factor (leaf/soil) was used to investigate the translocation of the element from soil to leaves. Cd and Cr soil contents at the remote sites were higher than at the anthropic ones; in contrast, at the latter, Cd and Cr leaf concentrations were higher than at the remote sites. Cu and Pb concentrations were greater both in the soils and in the leaves of the anthropic sites as compared to the remote ones. The differences between the two site typologies were statistically different with the exception of Cu soil contents. The concentrations of Cu and Pb in the leaves and in the soils were significantly correlated. Available Cd, Cu and Pb fractions were significantly correlated to the total soil contents. Moreover, available Cu in the soil was significantly correlated to Cu leaf concentrations. All the studied elements appear to be taken up in relevant measure directly from the air at the anthropic sites. The translocation from roots to leaves could be relevant only for Cu. Q. ilex leaves appear better biomonitors than soil in the investigated area. The soil background contents of all the studied elements hid the input of trace elements from the air. In addition, soil contents reflect a mixture of past and recent inputs, whereas leaf contents reflect the element inputs for a known exposure time. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Chara gymnophylla is a reliable biomonitor of PTEs in freshwater ecosystems. • Chara gymnophylla and Fontinalis antipyretica show different PTE selectivity. • The custom made moss and alga bags are effective and reliable exposure devices. • Variance partitioning sheds light on biomonitor responses to environmental gradients. • Natural and anthropogenic sources can be deduced by PTE spatial variation scales. At the core of the adaptive ecosystem management paradigm, environmental monitoring, especially using biomonitors, mandates the search for tools and approaches to overcome its current limitations, both in terms of novel species and analytical techniques to extract information from the data. In this context, a large field biomonitoring study was performed in order to validate a candidate active biomonitor, the macrophytic alga Chara gymnophylla , using a long-established biomonitor (the aquatic moss Fontinalis antipyretica) as reference, innovative spatial analysis approaches and the area of two of the main freshwater ecosystems of the "Cilento Vallo di Diano e Alburni" National Park as experimental setting. Specifically, the concentrations of 19 potentially toxic elements (Al, As, Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb, S, Si, V, Zn) in 3 alga and 3 moss bags placed in each of 41 sites along the Bussento and Calore Salernitano rivers were analyzed. The coherence of element gradients between biomonitors, the spatial heterogeneity in element distribution and their spatial scales were evaluated using robust multivariate approaches, random models and spectral decomposition of the spatial gradients. Results demonstrate the substantial uniformity in responses between the biomonitors, both showing similar element spatial distributions, within and between-site variability, the same spatial connectivity and spatial variations at similar scales. On the one hand, the approach adopted and the findings obtained allow definitely validating Ch. gymnophylla as a novel active biomonitor of potentially toxic elements in freshwater ecosystems and, on the other hand, deriving clear contamination scenarios, with indication of the alleged sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• M. aquatica is a promising cosmopolitan biomonitor of PTEs in freshwater ecosystems. • M. aquatica roots can accumulate PTEs over wide concentration ranges. • The joint use of two selected hydrophytes enhanced biomonitoring accuracy. • Spatial and temporal PTE concentration gradients were highlighted in a sensitive area. • High Cd, Cr, Ni and Zn concentrations were observed near three karst springs. Environmental monitoring in sensitive areas is crucial to develop and adapt governance policies. In this context, biomonitoring provides information not only on environmental contamination gradients, but also on the actual pollutant bioavailabilities and, using bioaccumulators, on their possible transfer through the food webs. The spatial distribution of suitable bioaccumulators, however, may limit the effectiveness of biomonitoring. To relieve this constraint, we investigated the usefulness of Mentha aquatica as a novel cosmopolitan biomonitor of potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in freshwater ecosystems, using Helosciadium nodiflorum , a widely recognized biomonitor, as a reference for environmental concentration gradients. The biomonitors were then employed in deriving spatial gradients of macronutrient (Ca, K, Mg, P, S), micronutrient (Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Na, Ni, Si, V, Zn) and non-essential element (Al, As, Cd, Pb) concentrations in the area of one of the largest Italian national parks. Over two years and a large number of sites, M. aquatica roots provided PTE concentration gradients comparable to those obtained using H. nodiflorum roots, demonstrating their usefulness in PTE biomonitoring and widening the range of suitable biomonitors for freshwater ecosystems. At the same time, the joint use of M. aquatica and H. nodiflorum enhanced the accuracy of concentration gradients measured in two of the main freshwater ecosystems within the "Cilento, Vallo di Diano e Alburni" National Park (southern Italy). The study, performed for two consecutive years over 43 sites along the Bussento and Calore Salernitano rivers, pointed out several criticalities, attributable either to natural or anthropogenic sources. High natural concentrations of Al, As, Na, Si and V were mainly related to local characteristics (proximity to sea, sediment texture) or generalized lithological background (pyroclastic deposits on carbonates), whereas local high concentrations of Co, Fe and Mn were mainly related to direct or indirect anthropogenic sources (proximity to urban centers, wastewater treatment plants). Moreover, unusual high concentrations of Cd, Cr, Ni and Zn were observed at three spring mouths, suggesting changes in their bioavailability due to spring water physico-chemistry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]