Preliminary assessment of soil quality and heavy-metal contamination in agricultural lands near Orathupalayam Dam, Tamil Nadu, India
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Authors
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E MOHANAPRIYA
PSGR Krishnammal College for Women, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641 001, India
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K S TAMILSELVI
PSGR Krishnammal College for Women, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu 641 001, India
Keywords:
Contamination factor, Geo-accumulation index, Heavy metal pollution index, Physico-chemical parameters, Pollution load indexAbstract
Soil degradation by imbalanced nutrient levels and heavy metal contamination poses a significant threat to agricultural productivity and ecosystem health. The physicochemical parameters, heavy metal concentrations and the pollution indices of the soil samples from the contaminated agricultural land near Orathupalayam Dam, Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu were analysed using standard procedures. The soils were alkaline, with low organic carbon and manganese but elevated macronutrients (N, P, K) and the concentrations of various heavy metals, i.e. Cd (1.35 ± 0.16 mg/kg), Cr (20.03 ± 1.07 mg/kg), Pb (14.45 ± 0.50 mg/kg), Ni (37.7 ± 1.15 mg/kg) and Zn (36.18 ± 2.26 mg/kg) were found. The average geo-accumulation index for Cd was 0.16 and for other metals, it was below 1; and the heavy metal pollution index exceeded 100 for all samples. Contamination factor for the heavy metals followed the order Cd > Ni > Zn > Cr > Pb, and all samples had pollution load index above 0.5. Codmium and Ni were identified as moderate-level pollutants, while Zn, Cr and Pb were the baseline pollutants. This study highlights the heavy metal pollution risks, emphasising the need for mitigation strategies and sustainable agricultural practices to reduce heavy metal contamination and improve soil health.
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