Effects of Vegetable Fields on the Spatial Distribution Patterns of Metal(loid)s in Soils Based on GIS and Moran’s I

Abstract

Metal(loid) pollution in vegetable field soils has become increasingly severe and affects the safety of vegetable crops. Research in China has mainly focused on greenhouse vegetables (GV), while open field vegetables (OV) and the spatial distribution patterns of metal(loid)s in the surrounding soils have rarely been assessed. In the present study, spatial analysis methods combining Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Moran’s I were applied to analyze the effects of vegetable fields on metal(loid) accumulation in soils. Overall, vegetable fields affected the spatial distribution of metal(loid)s in soils. In long-term vegetable production, the use of large amounts of organic fertilizer led to the bioconcentration of cadmium (Cd) and mercury (Hg), and long-term fertilization resulted in a significant pH decrease and consequent transformation and migration of chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), and arsenic (As). Thus, OV fields with a long history of planting had lower average pH and Cd, and higher average As, Cr, Hg, and Pb than GV fields, reached 0.93%, 10.1%, 5.8%, 3.0%, 80.8%, and 0.43% respectively. Due to the migration and transformation of metal(loid)s in OV soils, these should be further investigated regarding their abilities to reduce the accumulation of metal(loid)s in soils and protect the quality of the cultivated land.