ACS Scott: input level effects on crop and soil heavy metal and metalloid concentrations

Abstract

Different input levels, defined by a combination of tillage intensity and the application of agro-chemicals, affect the availability of heavy metals and metalloids in the soil and subsequently the absorption of heavy metals and metalloids by crops. We studied the effect of organic, high, and reduced input levels in a long-term rotation study on the concentration of 24 heavy metals and metalloids in yellow peas and hard red spring wheat. The Long-Term Agro- Ecosystem Research for the Canadian Prairie Ecozone (Alternative Cropping Systems Project) was established at the AAFC Research Farm in Scott, SK, Canada in 1994, rotating in six-year cycles. We found that selenium concentration in yellow peas and cobalt concentration in hard red spring wheat were highest under the organic input level, while cadmium levels in yellow peas were highest in the high and reduced input levels. The difference in soil heavy metal and metalloid concentration was not significant among input levels but significant between crop types.