Skip to main content
Log in

Effects of Cd and Pb pollution on soil enzymatic activities and soil microbiota

  • Research Article
  • Published:
Frontiers of Agriculture in China

Abstract

Based on a representative sampling method and pot experiment with different concentrations of Cd and Pd, the enzymatic activities (urease, phosphatase, catalase, invertase), population of bacteria, fungus and actinomycete in the soil, the Cd and Pd pollution status of soil samples (from the wastewater-irrigated area of Baoding suburb) were appraised. Unitary linear and nonlinear curve-fitting optimization models were applied in the research, and the relationship between Pb and Cd causing pollution and enzymatic activities of the tested soils were discussed. The research may provide a theoretical basis for protecting the environment in the region of Baiyangdian Lake, Hebei province, prevent soil pollution, and ascertain biochemical indexes, which reflect soil heavy metal pollution levels.

The research results indicated that: (1) there was obvious accumulation of Pb and Cd in the wastewater-irrigated area, also the accumulation in wastewater-irrigated soil is more than that in fresh water-irrigated soil, and accumulation on surface layer was more than that in the lower layer. Pb and Cd contents in the tested soils exceeded the standards of soil background values for some major cities at home and abroad and the world soil Cd and Pb contents range. This means that the tested soil had reached a lightly polluted level; (2) there existed an obvious negative correlation between soil enzymatic activities and Pb and Cd contents in wastewater-irrigated soil, where the soil urease and catalase activities decreased obviously with the increase of Pb and Cd contents in soil. Therefore, the urease and catalase can be considered as biochemical indexes that reflect the degree of soil Pb and Cd pollution; (3) the pot experiments indicated that the influence of Cd on soil enzymatic activities was greater than that of Pb. Generally, the effect of Cd on soil phosphatase, urease, catalase is more obvious than that on invertase, while Pb has a more obvious effect on invertase than Cd; (4) pot experiments of triple cropping showed that, Cd and Pb had an obvious inhibiting effect on microbes. The influence sensitivity of Cd and Pb on different microbes was ordered as bacteria > actinomycete > fungus. Cd had a greater inhibiting effect on microbes than Pb, the influence of Cd and Pb on actinomycete and fungus was relatively smaller, therefore, bacteria can be chosen as an important index that reflects the effect of Cd and Pb on microbe sensitivity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Gao Z M (1986). Studies on Pollution Ecology of Soil-Plant-Systems. Beijing: China Science and Technology Press (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Guan S M (1986). Studies on Soil Enzyme and its Methods. Beijing: China Agriculture Press (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • He W X, Zhu M E, Zhang Y P (2000). Recent advance in relationship between soil enzymes and heavy mental. Soil and Environmental Science, 9(2): 139–142 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Kilaglish (1981). Heavy Metal Pollution in Soil of Japan. Tokyo: Japan Scientific Societies Press, 121, 89–90

    Google Scholar 

  • Li X K (1984). Analytical Methods of Convention for Soil Agro-Chemistry. Beijing: Beijing Science Press, 67–99 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu S Q (1990). Discuss relationship between soil enzymatic activities and soil pollution. Journal of Environmental Science in Hebei, 1(5): 52–57 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu S Q (1996). Relationship between soil Pb and Cd pollution and enzyme activities in waste water irrigated area of Baoding city. Acta Pedologica Sinica, 33(2): 175–182 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu S Q, Zhang L F (1995). Studies on Dryland Agriculture. China Science and Technology Press, 76–81 (in Chinese)

  • Liu X, Liu S Q, Tang Z H (2003). Relationship between heavy mental forms and soil environmental activities in alluvial meadow soils and meadow cinnamon soils. Acta Pedologica Sinica, 40(4): 581–587 (in Chinese)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tyley G (1974). Heavy metal pollution and soil enzymatic activity. Plant and Soil, 41: 303

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu D M, Liu G S, Wang L M, Liu W P (2004). Studies on the effects and corresponding mechanism of Hg2+ on the activity of soil acid phosphatase. Acta Scientiae Circumstiae, 24(5): 865–870 (in Chinese)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang X G, Liu S Q, Dou T L, Ji Y Z, Xue B M (2006). Strategies for controlling water environmental pollution in the area of Baiyangdian Lake. Chinese Journal of Eco-Agriculture, 14(2): 27–31 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao L B, Jang H (1986). Analytical methods of soil phosphatase. Journal of Soil Science, 17(3): 137–141 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou L K (1980). Analytical methods of Soil enzyme. Journal of Soil Science, 11(5): 37–38 (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou L K (1985). Heavy metal pollution of soil and soil enzymatic activity. Journal of Environmental Science, 5(2): 176–184 (in Chinese)

    CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Liu Shuqing.

About this article

Cite this article

Liu, S., Yang, Z., Wang, X. et al. Effects of Cd and Pb pollution on soil enzymatic activities and soil microbiota. Front. Agric. China 1, 85–89 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11703-007-0016-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11703-007-0016-9

Keywords

Navigation