Metal contamination of soil and translocation in vegetables growing under industrial wastewater irrigated agricultural field of Vadodara, Gujarat, India☆
Introduction
Metals are intrinsic component of the earth crust; however, today soil contamination with heavy metals is an environmental problem on a global scale and it is becoming increasingly important as industrialization increases (Salvatore et al., 2009). Industrial activities such as mining, electroplating and manufacturing of essential commodities produce huge volume of wastewater as effluent that contains heavy metals and other toxicants, which deteriorate the quality of aquatic system where it is discharged (Tiwari et al., 2008). Metals are extremely persistent in the environment; as they are non-degradable and thus readily accumulated at toxic levels. Metals can also accumulate in the soil at toxic levels due to long term application of wastewater (Bohn et al., 1985). Apart from discharges from several industrial areas, metals continuously enter into the water source consumed by human beings and animals, endangering their growth and health (Freedman and Hutchinson, 1981, Sigel, 1986). In many areas these discharges are used by local formers for irrigating their crops, thus introducing these pollutants to the crops (Warning et al., 1996). Very often plant chemical composition is modified without damage being easily visible, and plants grown in contaminated soils contain higher quantities of metals than plants grown in un-contaminated soils (Van and Zwart, 1997, Yusuf et al., 2003, Nadal et al., 2005). In this changing scenario reuse of domestic and industrial wastewater in agriculture for irrigating crops appears to be a lucrative option due to appreciable amount of plant nutrients present in this water (Rattan et al., 2005). A number of studies from developing countries have reported heavy metal contamination in wastewater and wastewater irrigated soil (Cao and Hu, 2000, Nan et al., 2002, Singh et al., 2004, Mapanda et al., 2005, Tiwari et al., 2008). In many developing countries including India, farmers are irrigating their crop plants with industrial effluents (Kaushik et al., 2005, Rattan et al., 2005, Abbas et al., 2007, Tiwari et al., 2008) having high level of several toxic metals (Cu, Cd, Cr, Zn, Fe, Ni, Mn and Pb) (Kumar and Chandra, 2004, Abbas et al., 2007, Tiwari et al., 2008) due to the non-availability of alternative sources of irrigation water. Several researchers have been documented use of diluted industrial effluents/sludge has growth and productivity enhancing effects on crop plants (Quartacci et al., 2006, Abbas et al., 2007, Bose and Bhattacharyya, 2008, Chandra et al., 2008). However, loading of heavy metals often leads to degradation of soil health and contamination of food chain mainly through the vegetables grown on such soils (Rattan et al., 2002). The process of metal uptake and accumulation by different plants depend on the concentration of available metal in soils, solubility sequences and the plant species growing on these soils (Andersson, 1977).
Vegetable constitute an important component of human diet since they contain carbohydrates, proteins, as well as vitamins, minerals and trace elements (Dastane, 1987). One important dietary uptake pathway could be through vegetable crops irrigated with metal contaminated waste water. In the Umariya town of district Vadodara, Gujarat, India, a 100 Km long channel has been constructed for the discharge of effluents from several industrial units specially pharmaceuticals, pigments, petrochemicals, dye, paints, pesticides, chemical, lubricants, etc. The effluent channel is designed for effluent collection from various industrial estates and finally discharged in to the Arabian Sea. Local farmers across the channel use this waste water to irrigate their agricultural fields for growing crops due to scarcity of fresh water for irrigation. The vegetables generally grown in the area of Umariya are Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L), Radish (Raphanus sativus), Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum), Cress (Lepidium sativum), Dill (Peucedanum graveolens), Coriander (Coriandrum sativum), Chili (Capsicum annum), Cabbage (Brassica oleracea var capitata), Brinjal (Solanum melongena) and Okra (Hibiscus esculentus) by local farmers. However, there are very limited empirical information from India for heavy metal contents in soil and irrigation water and its accumulation and translocation to crop plants especially in vegetables form such metal contaminated agricultural field. It is of prime importance to know the degree of translocation of heavy metals from soils to plants used as food crops, and studies on the absorption of metals by food plants grown on soils to a safe level as not to cause phytotoxicity symptoms are of great practical interest. Indeed, edible plants produced from such soils could expose unknown consumers to the risk of ingesting high doses of metals that exceed the law and that, in the long-term, could cause cases of subacute or chronic intoxication (Salvatore et al., 2009).
The present study was selected in this agriculture field to establish direct relationship of level of metals in such contaminated agricultural field and the vegetable crops growing there in. The main objective of present studies is to quantify the level of metals concentration in soil and their translocation in vegetables to evaluate health hazards and which may be helpful in making policies for growing safe vegetables in these contaminated areas.
Section snippets
Study area
The area selected for present study was around effluent discharge channel located at Umariya, Vadodara, Gujarat (India). A number of industrial units are located in the adjacent area. Most of the treated and untreated industrial effluents are being discharged through this effluent channel. Several acres of agricultural land irrigated by channel effluent water and local farmers cultivate various types of crop of economic importance, including seasonal vegetables. As per the information given by
Results and discussion
The study site selected in Umariya, District Vadodara, Gujarat, India, have a large number of industrial units including chemicals, petrochemicals, pesticide, dye, dye intermediate, pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, etc. where high amounts of liquid and solid waste are present in the vicinity. The physico-chemical characteristics showed a higher concentration of nutrients in mixed industrial effluents than in tube well water. The pH of the mixed industrial effluent was slightly acidic in nature
Conclusions
Present study concludes that practice of routine irrigation with mixed industrial effluent has resulted to increase metals concentration in the agricultural field and subsequently plants growing therein. The vegetable crops studied accumulate and translocate variable amounts of metals from the soil by different extent into their tissue. The vegetable species, i.e. Spinach, Radish, Tomato, Chilli and Cabbage growing in mixed industrial effluent irrigated agricultural field showed high
Acknowledgements
Authors would like to give sincere thanks to Department of Science and Technology (Government of India), New Delhi and Gujarat Council of Science and Technology, Gandhinagar for financial assistance. NKS acknowledge Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi (Government of India) for Research Associate Fellowship.
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