RT Journal Article
T1 Carbonate, organic and clay fractions determine metal bioavailability in periurban calcareous agricultural soils in the Mediterranean area
A1 Santiago Martín, Ana De
A1 Valverde Asenjo, María Inmaculada
A1 Quintana Nieto, José Ramón
A1 Vázquez, Antonio
A1 López Lafuente, Antonio Leovigildo
A1 González Huecas, Concepción
AB A set of periurban calcareous agriculturalMediterranean soils, with a natural gradient in the content and composition of organicmatter (OM), was spiked with a mixture of Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn at two levels – designated Tt1 and Tt2 – within the limit values proposed by the current European legislation and incubated for ≤12 months. We conducted bioassay experiments with romaine and iceberg varieties of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). Metal bioavailability patterns were evaluated as a function of soil constituents and extractable metals. Metal contamination produced a decrease in plant biomass (up to 50%) and nutrient imbalance. The redundancy analysis showed that the carbonate, OMand fine mineral fractions account for up to 85% of the variance in metal  bioavailability patterns in lettuce plants. Carbonate and fine mineral fractions were negatively related to Cd and Zn bioavailability in plants respectively. Organic matter explained Cu and Pb bioavailability, although patterns varied between plant tissues according to their organic composition. The labile fraction limited metal absorption of Pb by roots at the Tt2 level and Cu at both levels, but Cu and Pb translocation was enhanced at both levels. There were significant  correlations between metals in leaves and metals extracted with both neutral salts and complexing agents. The high rate of metal translocation and the considerable influence of soil properties may indicate that the limiting values ofmetals in soils proposed by the current European legislation should be revised in the case of multi-component systems, and/or be established according to the soil characteristics.
PB Elsevier
SN 0016-7061
YR 2014
FD 2014-06
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/104580
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/104580
LA eng
NO Universidad Complutense de Madrid
NO Comunidad de Madrid
DS Docta Complutense
RD 26 dic 2025