Abstract

The agricultural use of soils is limited by their contamination with various compounds and low contents of nutrients. We aimed to study the unique soils of the Yamal Experimental Station to determine their contamination with heavy metals and assess their potential fertility.
Established in 1932, the Yamal Experimental Station (Salekhard, Russia) has bred new varieties of vegetable crops in open and protected ground. In August 2021, we made a soil section and 40 pits in a 0–10 cm layer. X-ray fluorescence was used to determine 11 metals and oxides. The qualitative assessment was based on the total soil pollution, soil pollution, and geoaccumulation indexes. Finally, we determined the contents of nutrients.
The metals and metal oxides showed regressive-accumulative distribution along the soil profile. The concentrations of all ecotoxicants (except for arsenic) were within the maximum/approximate permissible values. Since arsenic has a high regional background content, its elevated concentrations make the soil suitable for agricultural use if proper quality control is in place. The total soil pollution index classified the level of pollution as “acceptable”. The geoaccumulation index showed the soils as mostly “unpolluted” with metals. The soil pollution index had values below 1, which indicated the absence of pollution.
The fallow soils of the Yamal Experimental Station have a high level of potential fertility and are suitable for agricultural reuse according to the soil quality indexes applied. They can also serve as a local geochemical standard that has a long history of agrogenic transformation in cryogenic ecosystems. Taking into account increased concentrations of arsenic, we recommend primary quality control of agricultural products to identify its possible migration in the soil-plant system.

Keywords

Ecotoxicological state, soil quality, agrozems, heavy metals, Arctic, polar agriculture

REFERENCES

1. Guo B, Hong C, Tong W, Xu M, Huang C, Yin H, et al. Health risk assessment of heavy metal pollution in a soil-rice system: a case study in the Jin-Qu Basin of China. Scientific Reports. 2020;1(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-68295-6
2. Logan TJ, Traina SJ. Trace metals in agricultural soils. In: Allen HE, Perdue EM, Brown DS, editors. Metals in groundwater. Boca Raton: CRC Press; 2020. p. 309–347.
3. Bezuglova OS, Gorbov SN, Tischenko SA, Aleksikova AS, Tagiverdiev SS, Sherstnev AK, et al. Accumulation and migration of heavy metals in soils of the Rostov region, south of Russia. Journal of Soils and Sediments. 2016;16(4):1203–1213. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-015-1165-8
4. Suleymanov A, Abakumov E, Zakharenko I, Suleymanov R. Assessment and mapping of landfills on soils in the Serpukhov district (Moscow region). Geodesy and Cartography. 2021;47(4):181–185. https://doi.org/10.3846/gac.2021.12922
5. Polyakov V, Kozlov A, Suleymanov A, Abakumov E. Soil pollution status of urban soils in St. Petersburg city, North-west of Russia. Soil and Water Research. 2021;16(3):164–173. https://doi.org/10.17221/95/2020-SWR
6. Gebeyehu HR, Bayissa LD. Levels of heavy metals in soil and vegetables and associated health risks in Mojo area, Ethiopia. PLoS ONE. 2020;15(1). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0227883
7. Gao L, Wang Z, Li S, Chen J. Bioavailability and toxicity of trace metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn) in sediment cores from the Shima River, South China. Chemosphere. 2018;192:31–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2017.10.110
8. Khan A, Khan S, Khan MA, Aamir M, Ullah H, Nawab J, et al. Heavy metals effects on plant growth and dietary intake of trace metals in vegetables cultivated in contaminated soil. International Journal of Environmental Science and Technology. 2019;16(5):2295–2304. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13762-018-1849-x
9. Chernykh N. The development of forest-tundra soils for agricultural crops. Agricultural and industrial economy of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Salekhard; 1977. 14–19 p. (In Russ.).
10. Morgun EN, Abakumov EV. Agricultural research and crop yields in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District: Retrospective analysis (1932–2019). Scientific Bulletin of the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District. 2019;104(3):4–9. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.26110/ARCTIC.2019.104.3.001
11. Tikhanovsky AN. Potatoes in Yamal. Novosibirsk: Akademizdat; 2021. 160 p. (In Russ.).
12. Abakumov EV, Morgun EN. State and prospects for the use of fallow lands in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. Biosphere Economy: Theory and Practice. 2021;40(11):5–17. (In Russ.).
13. Chernykh NA, Cbeltygmasheva IS, Baeva JI. Soil polution and quality of plants production. RUDN Journal of Ecology and Life Safety. 2003;(9):179–187. (In Russ.)
14. Zhong Y, Igalavithana AD, Zhang M, Li X, Rinklebe J, Hou D, et al. Effects of aging and weathering on immobilization of trace metals/metalloids in soils amended with biochar. Environmental Science: Processes and Impacts. 2020;22(9):1790–1808. https://doi.org/10.1039/d0em00057d
15. Neverova OA, Egorova IN. Evaluation of hips (Rosa majalis Herrm.) gathered on the coal opencast dump in the Kemerovo region. Food Processing: Techniques and Technology. 2015;38(3):139–145. (In Russ.).
16. Komarov VI, Selivanov OG, Martsev AA, Podoletc AA, Lukyanov SN. Heavy metals contamination in arable horizon of soils of agricultural appointment of the Vladimir Region. Agrohimia. 2019;(12):75–82. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0002188119100089
17. Paromov VV, Zemtsov VA, Kopysov SG. Climate of West Siberia during the slowing phase of warming (1986–2015) and prediction of hydro-climatic resources for 2021–2030. Bulletin of the Tomsk Polytechnic University. Geo Assets Engineering. 2017;328(1):62–74. (In Russ.).
18. Arinushkina E. Chemical analysis of soils. Moscow: Izdatelʹstvo Moskovskogo universiteta; 1952. 240 p. (In Russ.).
19. Saltan N, Slukovskaya M, Mikhaylova I, Zarov E, Skripnikov P, Gorbov S, et al. Assessment of soil heavy metal pollution by land use zones in small towns of the industrialized Arctic Region, Russia. In: Vasenev V, Dovletyarova E, Valentini R, Cheng Z, Calfapietra C, Inostroza L, Leuchner M, editors. Springer Geography. Cham: Springer; 2020. pp. 100–110. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-75285-9_10
20. Baghaie AH, Aghili F. Investigation of heavy metals concentration in soil around a PbZn mine and ecological risk assessment. Environmental Health Engineering and Management Journal. 2019;6(3):151–156. https://doi.org/10.15171/EHEM.2019.17
21. Kowalska JB, Mazurek R, Gąsiorek M, Zaleski T. Pollution indices as useful tools for the comprehensive evaluation of the degree of soil contamination – A review. Environmental Geochemistry and Health. 2018;40(6):2395–2420.
22. Rehman I, Ishaq M, Ali L, Khan S, Ahmad I, Din I, et al. Enrichment, spatial distribution of potential ecological and human health risk assessment via toxic metals in soil and surface water ingestion in the vicinity of Sewakht mines, district Chitral, Northern Pakistan. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety. 2018;154:127–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoenv.2018.02.033
23. Łyszczarz S, Błońska E, Lasota J. The application of the geo-accumulation index and geostatistical methods to the assessment of forest soil contamination with heavy metals in the Babia Góra National Park (Poland). Archives of Environmental Protection. 2020;46(3):69–79. https://doi.org/10.24425/aep.2020.134537
24. Sabet Aghlidi P, Cheraghi M, Lorestani B, Sobhanardakani S, Merrikhpour H. Analysis, spatial distribution and ecological risk assessment of arsenic and some heavy metals of agricultural soils, case study: South of Iran. Journal of Environmental Health Science and Engineering. 2020;18(2):665–676. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40201-020-00492-x
25. Nizamutdinov T, Abakumov E, Morgun E. Morphological features, productivity and pollution state of abandoned agricultural soils in the Russian Arctic (Yamal Region). One Ecosystem. 2021;6. https://doi.org/10.3897/oneeco.6.e68408
26. Nizamutdinov T, Abakumov E, Morgun E, Loktev R, Kolesnikov R. Agrochemical and pollution status of urbanized agricultural soils in the central part of Yamal region. Energies. 2021;14(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/en14144080
27. Nizamutdinov T, Morgun E, Pechkin A, Kostecki J, Greinert A, Abakumov E. Differentiation of trace metal contamination level between different urban functional zones in permafrost affected soils (The example of several cities in the Yamal Region, Russian arctic). Minerals. 2021;11(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/min11070668
28. Tomashunas VM, Abakumov EV. The content of heavy metals in soils of the Yamal peninsula and the Bely Island. Hygiene and Sanitation. 2014;93(6):26–31. (In Russ.).
29. Alekseev II, Dinkelaker NV, Oripova AA, Semyina GA, Morozov AA, Abakumov EV. Assessment of ecotoxicological state of soils of the Polar Ural and Southern Yamal. Hygiene and Sanitation. 2017;96(10):941–945. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.18821/0016-9900-2017-96-10-941-945
30. Ji X, Abakumov E, Antcibor I, Tomashunas V, Knoblauch C, Zubzycki S, et al. Influence of anthropogenic activities on metals in arctic permafrost: a characterization of benchmark soils on the Yamal and Gydan peninsulas in Russia. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 2019;76(4):540–553. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00244-019-00607-y
31. Moskovchenko DV, Kurchatova AN, Fefilov NN, Yurtaev AA. Concentrations of trace elements and iron in the Arctic soils of Belyi Island (the Kara Sea, Russia): patterns of variation across landscapes. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. 2017;189(5). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-017-5928-0
32. Romanenko EA, Moskovchenko DV, Kudryavtsev AA, Shigabaeva GN. Mobile forms of metals in soils in the Nadym-Pur interfluve (Western Siberia). Bulletin of Nizhnevartovsk State University. 2020;(2):136–145. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.36906/2311-4444/20-2/18
33. Moskovchenko DV, Romanenko EA. Elemental composition of soils of the Pur-Taz interfluve. Dokuchaev Soil Bulletin. 2020;(103):51–84. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.19047/0136-1694-2020-103-51-84
34. Opekunova MG, Opekunov AYu, Kukushkin SYu, Ganul AG. Background contents of heavy metals in soils and bottom sediments in the north of Western Siberia. Eurasian Soil Science. 2019;(4):422–439. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0032180X19020114
35. Pechkin AS, Agbalian EV, SHinkaruk EV, Khnycheva NA, Melnikova VV, Iulbarisova KV, et al. Background physical and chemical characteristics of the soil cover of the northern part of the state reserve “Verkhne-Tazovsky”. Nature management and protection: natural monuments, biological and landscape diversity of the Tomsk Ob region and other regions of Russia: Proceeding of the 9th All-Russian scientific conference with international participation; 2020; Tomsk. Tomsk: Tomsk State University; 2020. p. 211–215. (In Russ.). https://doi.org 10.17223/978-5-94621-954-9-2020-50
36. Kovalsky VV. Geochemical ecology. Moscow: Nauka; 1974. 299 p. (In Russ.).