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Assessment of Metal(loid) Contamination and Genotoxic Potential of Agricultural Soils

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Abstract

Soil, a connecting link between biotic and abiotic components of terrestrial ecosystem, receives different kinds of pollutants through various point and nonpoint sources. Among different sources of soil pollution, contaminated irrigation water is one of the most prominent sources affecting soils throughout the globe. The irrigation water (both surface and groundwater) is increasingly getting polluted with contaminants such as metal(loid)s due to various anthropogenic activities. The present study was conducted to analyze metal(loid) contents in agricultural soil samples (N = 24) collected from fields along the banks of rivers Beas and Sutlej flowing through Punjab state of India, using wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) spectroscopy. The soil samples were also analyzed for their genotoxic potential using Allium cepa root chromosomal aberration assay. The rivers Beas and Sutlej are contaminated with municipal and industrial effluents in different parts of Punjab. The soil samples analyzed were found to have higher contents of arsenic, cobalt and chromium in comparison with the reference values given by various international agencies. Pollution assessment using different indices like index of geo-accumulation, enrichment factor and contamination factor revealed that the soil samples were highly polluted with cobalt and arsenic. The Allium cepa assay revealed that maximum genotoxicity was found in soil samples having higher contents of As and Co. Pearson’s correlation analysis revealed strong positive correlation between the different metal(loid)s which indicated common sources of these metal(loid)s. Therefore, efforts must be taken to reduce the levels of these metal(loid)s in these agricultural soils.

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Acknowledgements

Authors acknowledge University Grants Commission, New Delhi, for financial assistance under DRS and BSR programs; and Rajiv Gandhi National Fellowship; and Head, Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar for laboratory facilities.

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  1. Department of Botanical and Environmental Sciences, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, 143005, India

    Vaneet Kumar, Sandip Singh Bhatti & Avinash Kaur Nagpal

  2. Department of Botany, S.L. Bawa DAV College, Batala, 143505, India

    Vaneet Kumar

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  1. Vaneet Kumar
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Vaneet Kumar and Sandip Singh Bhatti have equal first authorship.

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Kumar, V., Bhatti, S.S. & Nagpal, A.K. Assessment of Metal(loid) Contamination and Genotoxic Potential of Agricultural Soils. Arch Environ Contam Toxicol 81, 272–284 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-021-00874-8

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