Heavy Metal Concentrations and Basal Respiration in Contaminated Substrates used in the Cuban Urban Agriculture

The input of heavy metals in agricultural systems depresses the soil quality and compromises the food safety owing to crop contamination. Metals also affect the structure, morphology, function, and activity of microorganisms in soils and substrates. Heavy metals can inhibit basic processes of microb...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Water, air, and soil pollution Vol. 232; no. 3
Main Authors:	Alfaro, Mirelys Rodríguez, Martín, Bernardo Calero, Ugarte, Olegario Muñiz, García, Anabel Rodríguez, da Silva, Fernando Bruno Vieira, do Nascimento, Clístenes Williams Araújo
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Cham Springer International Publishing 01-03-2021 Springer Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:	Agricultural pollution Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution Biological activity Cadmium Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts Earth and Environmental Science Environment Environmental monitoring Farming systems Farms Food Food contamination Food safety Heavy metals Hydrogeology Incubation period Lead Mercury Mercury (metal) Metabolism Metal concentrations Microbial activity Microbial contamination Microorganisms Morphology Municipal solid waste Pollutant load Pollution Pollution index Pollution load Refuse and refuse disposal Respiration Safety and security measures Soil Soil contamination Soil microbiology Soil microorganisms Soil quality Soil Science & Conservation Solid impurities Solid wastes Structure-function relationships Substrate inhibition Substrates Urban agriculture Urban farming Water Quality/Water Pollution Zinc Cadmium Trace elements Metal contamination Mercury
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Summary:	The input of heavy metals in agricultural systems depresses the soil quality and compromises the food safety owing to crop contamination. Metals also affect the structure, morphology, function, and activity of microorganisms in soils and substrates. Heavy metals can inhibit basic processes of microbial metabolism such as respiration. The present study aimed (i) to assess the relationship between cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), and mercury (Hg) in contaminated organic substrates used in the Cuban urban farms (the so-called organopónicos ) and the basal respiration; (ii) to study the changes in the basal respiration of substrates added with increasing metals concentrations; and (iii) to evaluate how increasing Hg concentrations in the substrates affect the basal respiration during a 135-day period. In general, the Cd, Pb, and Zn concentrations in the substrates of the organopónicos from Havana province are within the permissible values for organic substrates, while substrates prepared from municipal solid wastes from Havana and all substrates from Guantánamo province had metal concentrations exceeding the maximum permissible levels. The basal respiration was correlated negatively with the pollution load index. The toxic effect on microorganisms was also dependent on the metal concentration, the substrates, and the metal considered, with Cd and Hg having the most significant effect on diminishing microbial activity. Although Hg contamination reduced the basal respiration in the first 24 h of substrate-metal contact, at the 135th day of incubation, the basal respiration was higher than non-polluted substrates. This finding suggests the high metabolic activity of metal-resistant microorganisms in the substrates.
ISSN:	0049-6979 1573-2932
DOI:	10.1007/s11270-021-05073-8