Abstract
Changes in soil available metal, particularly, distribution changes in the soil profile relative to long-term peach cultivation, have not been studied thoroughly. Soil samples at depths of up to 100 cm in the soil profile were taken from peach orchards that were cultivated for 7, 15, and 50 years. We analyzed available metals (Zn, Fe, Mn, Al, and Cu), soil pH, total nitrogen (TN), nitrate nitrogen (NO3−-N), and ammonium nitrogen (NH4+-N) in different soil layers (0–10 cm, 10–20 cm, 20–40 cm, 40–60 cm, 60–80 cm, and 80–100 cm). The results showed that available metals were enriched in the topsoil (0–20 cm) after 50 years of peach cultivation, with the highest contents of available Fe (1.0 mg kg−1), Al (188.2 mg kg−1), and Cu (0.7 mg kg−1) in the 10–20 cm layer and Zn (11.7 mg kg−1) in the 0–10 cm layer. The soil pH in the 0–40 cm layer decreased with increasing periods of peach cultivation, with the lowest pH (4.2) in the 10–20 cm layer after 50 years of peach cultivation. Soil pH was negatively correlated with available metals (R = − 0.579, P < 0.05 for Zn, R = − 0.727, P < 0.01 for Fe, R = − 0.792, P < 0.01 for Mn, R = − 0.690, P < 0.01 for Al, and R = − 0.783, P < 0.01 for Cu). The highest contents of NO3−-N (212.9 mg kg−1) and NH4+-N (10.2 mg kg−1) were observed in the 50-year-old 0–10 cm layer, and soil pH was correlated negatively with the contents of NO3−-N and NH4+-N. Overall, our results indicated that the continuous input of nitrogen fertilizers may play an important role in soil acidification, and soil acidification may result in high accumulation of available metals in soil after long-term peach cultivation.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alekseeva, T., Alekseev, A., Xu, R. K., Zhao, A. Z., & Kalinin, P. (2011). Effect of soil acidification induced by a tea plantation on chemical and mineralogical properties of Alfisols in eastern China. Environmental Geochemistry and Health, 33, 137–148.
Bravo, S., Amorós, J. A., Pérez-de-los-Reyes, C., García, F. J., Moreno, M. M., Sánchez-Ormeño, M., & Higueras, P. (2017). Influence of the soil pH in the uptake and bioaccumulation of heavy metals (Fe, Zn, Cu, Pb and Mn) and other elements (Ca, K, Al, Sr and Ba) in vine leaves, Castilla-La Mancha (Spain). Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 174, 79–83.
Chen, D., Lan, Z., Hu, S., & Bai, Y. (2015a). Effects of nitrogen enrichment on belowground communities in grassland: Relative role of soil nitrogen availability vs. soil acidification. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 89, 99–108.
Chen, D., Li, J., Lan, Z., Hu, S., & Bai, Y. (2015b). Soil acidification exerts a greater control on soil respiration than soil nitrogen availability in grasslands subjected to long-term nitrogen enrichment. Functional. Ecology, 30, 658–669.
Cummings, G. A., & Xie, H. S. (1995). Effect of soil Ph and nitrogen source on the nutrient status in peach: II. Micronutrients. Journal of Plant Nutrition, 18, 553–562.
Fan, J., He, Z., Ma, L. Q., & Stoffella, P. J. (2011). Accumulation and availability of copper in citrus grove soils as affected by fungicide application. Journal of Soils & Sediments, 11, 639–648.
Fujii, K., Hayakawa, C., Panitkasate, T., Maskhao, I., Funakawa, S., Kosaki, T., & Nawata, E. (2017). Acidification and buffering mechanisms of tropical sandy soil in northeast Thailand. Soil and Tillage Research, 165, 80–87.
Gómez-Armesto, A., Carballeira-Díaz, J., Pérez-Rodríguez, P., Fernández-Calviño, D., Arias-Estévez, M., Nóvoa-Muñoz, J. C., Esperanza, Á.-R., Fernández-Sanjurjo, M. J., & Núñez-Delgado, A. (2015). Copper content and distribution in vineyard soils from Betanzos (A Coruña, Spain). Spanish journal of soil science, 5, 60–71.
Han, F. X., & Singer, A. (2007). Biogeochemistry of trace elements in arid environments. Environmental Pollution, 13, 29–51.
Jansen, B., Nierop, K. G. J., & Verstraten, J. M. (2003). Mobility of Fe (II), Fe(III) and Al in acidic forest soils mediated by dissolved organic matter: influence of solution pH and metal/organic carbon ratios. Geoderma, 113, 323–340.
Kidd, P., Barceló, J., Bernal, M. P., Navari-Izzo, F., Poschenrieder, C., Shilev, S., Clemente, R., & Monterroso, C. (2009). Trace element behaviour at the root–soil interface: implications in phytoremediation. Environmental & Experimental Botany, 67, 243–259.
Li, L., Wu, H., van Gestel, C. A. M., Peijnenburg, W. J. G. M., & Allen, H. E. (2014). Soil acidification increases metal extractability and bioavailability in old orchard soils of Northeast Jiaodong Peninsula in China. Environmental Pollution, 188, 144–152.
Li, S., Li, H., Yang, C., Wang, Y., Xue, H., & Niu, Y. (2016). Rates of soil acidification in tea plantations and possible causes. Agriculture, Ecosystem. Environment, 233, 60–66.
Liebig, M. A., Ryschawy, J., Kronberg, S. L., Archer, D. W., Scholljegerdes, E. J., Hendrickson, J. R., & Tanaka, D. L. (2017). Integrated crop-livestock system effects on soil N, P, and pH in a semiarid region. Geoderma, 289, 178–184.
Likar, M., Vogelmikuš, K., Potisek, M., Hančević, K., Radić, T., Nečemer, M., & Regvar, M. (2015). Importance of soil and vineyard management in the determination of grapevine mineral composition. Science of the Total Environment, 505, 724–731.
Liu, X., Ma, J., Ma, Z.-W., & Li, L.-H. (2017). Soil nutrient contents and stoichiometry as affected by land-use in an agro-pastoral region of northwest China. Catena, 150, 146–153.
Luisam, M., & Francesco, C. (2010). Soil fungal communities as indicators for replanting new peach orchards in intensively cultivated areas. European Journal of Agronomy, 33, 188–196.
Mao, Q., Lu, X., Zhou, K., Chen, H., Zhu, X., Mori, T., & Mo, J. (2017). Effects of long-term nitrogen and phosphorus additions on soil acidification in an N-rich tropical forest. Geoderma, 285, 57–63.
Pérez-Esteban, J., Escolástico, C., Masaguer, A., Vargas, C., & Moliner, A. (2014). Soluble organic carbon and pH of organic amendments affect metal mobility and chemical speciation in mine soils. Chemosphere, 103, 164–171.
Schilling, K. E., Palmer, J. A., Bettis, E. A., Jacobson, P., Schultz, R. C., & Isenhart, T. M. (2009). Vertical distribution of total carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in riparian soils of Walnut Creek, southern Iowa. Catena, 77, 266–26s.
Schroth, G., Teixeira, W. G., Seixas, R., Silva, L. F. D., Schaller, M., Macêdo, J. L. V., & Zech, W. (2000). Effect of five tree crops and a cover crop in multi-strata agroforestry at two fertilization levels on soil fertility and soil solution chemistry in central Amazonia. Plant & Soil, 221, 143–156.
Somavilla, L. M., Simão, D. G., Tiecher, T. L., Hammerschimitt, R. K., de Oliveira, J. M. S., Mayer, N. A., Pavanello, E. P., Trentin, E., Belles, S. W., & Brunetto, G. (2018). Structural changes in roots of peach rootstock cultivars grown in soil with high zinc content. Scientia Horticulturae, 237, 1–10.
Stevens, C. J., Dise, N. B., & Gowing, D. J. (2009). Regional trends in soil acidification and exchangeable metal concentrations in relation to acid deposition rates. Environmental. Pollution, 157, 313–319.
Tagliavini, M., Masia, A., & Quartieri, M. (1995). Bulk soil pH and rhizosphere pH of peach trees in calcareous and alkaline soils as affected by the form of nitrogen fertilizers. Plant & Soil, 176, 263–271.
Teng, Y., Feng, D., Wu, J., Zuo, R., Song, L., & Wang, J. (2015). Distribution, bioavailability, and potential ecological risk of Cu, Pb, and Zn in soil in a potential groundwater source area. Environmental Monitoring & Assessment, 187, 293.
Tiecher, T. L., Tiecher, T., Ceretta, C. A., Ferreira, P. A. A., Nicoloso, F. T., Soriani, H. H., Conti, L. D., Kulmann, M. S. S., Schneider, R. O., & Brunetto, G. (2017). Tolerance and translocation of heavy metals in young grapevine ( Vitis vinifera ) grown in sandy acidic soil with interaction of high doses of copper and zinc. Scientia Horticulturae, 222, 203–212.
Yang, X. D., Ni, K., Shi, Y. Z., Yi, X. Y., Zhang, Q. F., Fang, L., Ma, L. F., & Ruan, J. (2018). Effects of long-term nitrogen application on soil acidification and solution chemistry of a tea plantation in China. Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment, 252, 74–7s.
Zeng, F., Ali, S., Zhang, H., Ouyang, Y., Qiu, B., Wu, F., & Zhang, G. (2011). The influence of pH and organic matter content in paddy soil on heavy metal availability and their uptake by rice plants. Environmental Pollution, 159, 84–91.
Zhang, Y., He, X., Liang, H., Zhao, J., Zhang, Y., Xu, C., & Shi, X. (2016). Long-term tobacco plantation induces soil acidification and soil base cation loss. Environmental Science Pollution Research, 23, 5442–5450.
Zhao, X., & Xing, G.-x. (2009). Variation in the relationship between nitrification and acidification of subtropical soils as affected by the addition of urea or ammonium sulfate. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 41, 2584–2587.
Zhao, K., Liu, X., Xu, J., & Selim, H. M. (2010). Heavy metal contaminations in a soil–rice system: Identification of spatial dependence in relation to soil properties of paddy fields. Journal of Hazardous Materials, 181, 778–787.
Zhu, W., Liu, J., Ye, J., & Li, G. (2017). Effects of phytotoxic extracts from peach root bark and benzoic acid on peach seedlings growth, photosynthesis, antioxidance and ultrastructure properties. Scientia Horticulturae, 215, 49–58.
Acknowledgments
The study was financially supported by The National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFD0201409).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wang, Q., Wu, Y., Guo, D. et al. Planting age of peach affects soil metal accumulation and distribution in soil profile. Environ Monit Assess 191, 306 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-019-7463-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-019-7463-7