- 1North West Agriculture and Forestry University, College of Soil and Water Conservation Science and Engineering, China (swn0525@nwafu.edu.cn)
- 2Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, Spanish National Research Council (IAS-CSIC), Alameda del Obispo S/N, 14004 Cordoba, Spain
The Weibei Upland is an important area for apple production in China and globally. In this study, soil samples were collected and analyzed from 27 representative apple orchards in Luochuan, Baishui, and Qianyang in the northern, eastern, and western parts of the Weibei Upland to determine the levels of Pb, Cd, Cr, As, Cu, and Hg, and to assess their ecological and health risks.
The results of the survey showed that the concentrations of all six heavy metals in the soil of apple orchards in the region were below the risk control values, with arsenic being the heavy element with the highest risk. The comprehensive ecological environmental risks of the investigated orchards are all in clean condition (Nemero index<1). Heavy metals in orchard soils in the region have a high childhood cancer risk and are much higher than in adults.
The survey further demonstrated that geographical location had a significant effect (P < 0.05) on the ecological and non-carcinogenic risk of heavy metals in local orchards, but agricultural management practices did not have a significant effect on the ecological and health risk of local orchards（P > 0.05）.
The results of this study may provide a scientific basis for the sustainable management and environmental protection of apple orchards in the Weibei Upland, and it is recommended to strengthen the regulation of the use of heavy metals in the production and cultivation of apple orchards in this region in order to reduce heavy metal pollution and risks.
How to cite: sun, W., Zhang, X., Bai, G., Geng, W., Wang, H., Wang, M., Zhang, Y., Yu, K., Liu, X., and Gómez, J. A.: Sustainable agricultural management does not reduce heavy metals and associated risks in apple orchard soil, EGU General Assembly 2025, Vienna, Austria, 27 Apr–2 May 2025, EGU25-9281, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu25-9281, 2025.
