A Brief Survey of Assessment Models to Predict Stress Level of Heavy Metals in Soil

Abstract

Soil is a major and important natural resource, which not only support human life but also furnish commodities for ecological and economic growth. Ecological risk, such as degradation of soil pose a serious threat to the ecosystem. The high-stress level of heavy metals like chromium, copper, cadmium, etc., produce ecological risks, which include: decrease in the fertility of the soil; reduction in crop yield and degradation of metabolism of living beings, and hence ecological health. The ecological risk associated demands the assessment of heavy metal stress levels in soils. As the rate of stress level of heavy metals is exponentially increasing in recent times, it is apparent to assess or predict heavy metal contamination in soil. The assessment will help the concerned authorities to take corrective as well as preventive measures to enhance the ecological, and hence economic growth. This study reviews the efficient assessment models to predict contamination of soil due to heavy metal.