Distribution features and internal relations of heavy metals in soil–maize system of mining area, Anhui Province, Eastern China

ABSTRACT

A total of 59 topsoil and corresponding maize plants were collected from this study area. The spatial distribution, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression of heavy metals were researched detailedly in this article. The results showed that distribution characteristics of heavy metals (Pb, Cd, and Ni) in different parts of maize plants (immature stage) accumulated mostly in stems, with Pb mainly accumulated in roots (mature period), and Cd and Ni mostly in leaves. Except for the southeastern local region of this mining area, Mn and Cu possessed roughly similar spatial distribution characteristics. The results of partial correlation analysis indicated that Cu, Cd in the roots of the tested maize plants and Ni in soil may have antagonistic effects, Cu (soil)–Cu (stem) and Ni (soil)–Pb (stem) had a certain promoting effect. Besides, Cu, Pb, and Ni in soil promoted the absorption of Cu, Pb, and Ni in the leaves, whereas Cr and Pb in soil can promote the enrichment of Mn in maize grains. Our findings suggested that the concentrations of heavy metals in maize organs could be predicted accurately using the established models.

KEYWORDS:

• mining area
• soil–maize system
• heavy metals
• distribution features
• internal relations

Acknowledgments

The authors sincerely acknowledge the editors and reviewers for polishing the language of this article and further research in this field.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This research project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41773100, 41373095), Development fund for key disciplines of Suzhou University (2017xjzdxk2) and Research Project of Wanbei Coal-Electricity Group Co. Ltd (2018).