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The contamination of agricultural soils by heavy metals is one of the most important methods of soil degradation (EU Soil Thematic Strategy)
Radim Vácha. Heavy Metal Pollution and Its Effects on Agriculture. Agronomy 2021, 11, 1719 .
AMA StyleRadim Vácha. Heavy Metal Pollution and Its Effects on Agriculture. Agronomy. 2021; 11 (9):1719.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRadim Vácha. 2021. "Heavy Metal Pollution and Its Effects on Agriculture." Agronomy 11, no. 9: 1719.
The paired Fluvisol and cereal samples in both the field screening and controlled experiments are reported to elucidate the soil–crop relationship for As, Cd, and Pb in relation to changing contamination levels. Significant varietal differences in plant uptake were observed for crop type (barley, triticale) and the harvested part of the crop (oat shoots and grain). When parametrizing the stepwise regression models, the inclusion of soil properties often improved the performance of soil–crop models but diverse critical soil parameters were retained in the model for individual metal(loid)s. The pH value was often a statistically significant variable for Cd uptake. For As and Pb, the more successful model fit was achieved using the indicators of quantity or quality of soil organic matter, but always with lower inherent model reliability compared to Cd. Further, a single correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationship between extractable metal concentrations in soil solution and their crop accumulation. For Cd, there were strong intercorrelations among single extractions, the NH4NO3 extraction stood out with perfect correlation with plant uptake in both experiments. For As and Pb, the CaCl2 and Na2EDTA solutions outperformed other single extractions and were the better choice for the assessment of depositional fluvial substrates.
Jan Skála; Radim Vácha; Jarmila Čechmánková. Identifying Controlling Factors of Bioaccumulation of Selected Metal(loid)s in Various Soil–Cereal Crop Systems within Cultivated Fluvisols. Agronomy 2021, 11, 1180 .
AMA StyleJan Skála, Radim Vácha, Jarmila Čechmánková. Identifying Controlling Factors of Bioaccumulation of Selected Metal(loid)s in Various Soil–Cereal Crop Systems within Cultivated Fluvisols. Agronomy. 2021; 11 (6):1180.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJan Skála; Radim Vácha; Jarmila Čechmánková. 2021. "Identifying Controlling Factors of Bioaccumulation of Selected Metal(loid)s in Various Soil–Cereal Crop Systems within Cultivated Fluvisols." Agronomy 11, no. 6: 1180.
The main topic of this study is a human health risk assessment of a defined exposure scenario in the floodplain soils of the headwater areas of the central European watershed, with the aim of exploring both multivariate and regional data structures. Flood-prone areas are recognized worldwide to be susceptible to contamination and its redistribution. Contributions of various classes of toxic compounds (organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)) to human health risks were assessed in a screening risk assessment. However, due to the relative nature of our data and a high PAH dominancy over the data ensemble, reliance solely on the standard statistical processing of raw data might lead to incomplete insight into the structure of the multivariate data. Explanatory analysis of the data structure using the compositional approach was found to be beneficial to elucidating human health risk profiles and provided robust evidence that a contrast between agricultural and airborne industrial pollution controlled the whole human toxicological variation of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in floodplain soils. These results were effectively quantified with the subcomposition of benzo(a)pyrene, DDT, and alpha-hexachlorocyclohexane (aHCH), allowing for an interpretation of structural differences in regional pollution patterns, which conferred different extents and compositions of human health risks in floodplain soils.
Jan Skála; Radim Vácha; Pavel Čupr. Which Compounds Contribute Most to Elevated Soil Pollution and the Corresponding Health Risks in Floodplains in the Headwater Areas of the Central European Watershed? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2018, 15, 1146 .
AMA StyleJan Skála, Radim Vácha, Pavel Čupr. Which Compounds Contribute Most to Elevated Soil Pollution and the Corresponding Health Risks in Floodplains in the Headwater Areas of the Central European Watershed? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2018; 15 (6):1146.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJan Skála; Radim Vácha; Pavel Čupr. 2018. "Which Compounds Contribute Most to Elevated Soil Pollution and the Corresponding Health Risks in Floodplains in the Headwater Areas of the Central European Watershed?" International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 15, no. 6: 1146.
This study reports on the surface distribution of toxic elements (TEs; As, Be, and Cd) and persistent organic pollutants [POPs; e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs)] in agricultural soils affected by mining and heavy industry from the industrial regions of North Bohemia and North Moravia. In this study, these regions are considered as test regions to study the impacts of heavy industry emissions on agricultural soils. From 2000 to 2010, agricultural soils were sampled and their physicochemical properties and contamination levels of TEs (As, Be, and Cd) and POPs (PAHs) determined. The pseudototal content (from Aqua regia extracts) and plant available fraction (from 1 M NH4NO3 extracts) of TEs, as well as the total PAH content in humic horizons of arable soils and grasslands, were analyzed. The surface spatial variability of these contaminants was evaluated using the kriging method. Threshold values for the probability estimation were adapted from the limit values provided by newly proposed Czech legislation. We show that the soil environments of the study area are polluted by anthropogenic material directly connected to historical mining and industrial activities, including lignite mining in North Bohemia and hard coal mining and heavy industry in North Moravia. The increased As contents in the soils contribute to the most important environmental problems in North Bohemia, where anthropogenic and geogenic sources of As interact. In North Moravia, anthropogenic pollution linked to coal combustion and metallurgy has increased Cd and PAH contents in agricultural soils. However, concentrations of these pollutants do not exceed limits for food safety in soils from these regions. This study shows that agriculture can coexist in regions impacted by heavy industry emissions, like the study regions documented here. Such activity requires that a suitable methodology is implemented to evaluate soil contamination and a risk assessment is carried out. In addition, suitable precautions should be undertaken in areas close to industry, such as grassing over contaminated arable lands to reduce wind erosion.
Radim Vácha; Jan Skála; Jarmila Čechmánková; Viera Horváthová; Jiří Hladík. Toxic elements and persistent organic pollutants derived from industrial emissions in agricultural soils of the Northern Czech Republic. Journal of Soils and Sediments 2015, 15, 1813 -1824.
AMA StyleRadim Vácha, Jan Skála, Jarmila Čechmánková, Viera Horváthová, Jiří Hladík. Toxic elements and persistent organic pollutants derived from industrial emissions in agricultural soils of the Northern Czech Republic. Journal of Soils and Sediments. 2015; 15 (8):1813-1824.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRadim Vácha; Jan Skála; Jarmila Čechmánková; Viera Horváthová; Jiří Hladík. 2015. "Toxic elements and persistent organic pollutants derived from industrial emissions in agricultural soils of the Northern Czech Republic." Journal of Soils and Sediments 15, no. 8: 1813-1824.
Abandoned agricultural objects from the period of large-scale agricultural production in the socialist era represent a peculiar topic in the former communist countries of Eastern Europe, surpassing the experience of the EU15 countries or USA that have extensive and long-standing practice in brownfields redevelopment. The question of brownfields resulting from the transformation of the agricultural sector during the transition period of the Czech Republic is presented in this paper. Agricultural brownfields are the most frequently occurring brownfields in the Czech Republic (especially in some regions), but their area share is much lower, indicating their spatial disposition in the landscape. Some aspects of agricultural brownfields regeneration, including possibilities of its funding, are discussed in the paper. We also deal with geographical, environmental and historical aspects of the existence of these localities in the Czech Republic in the context of potential financial resources and possibilities for funding their revitalization.
Jan Skála; Radim Vácha; Jarmila Čechmánková; Viera Horváthová. Various Aspects of the Genesis and Perspectives on Agricultural Brownfields in the Czech Republic. Moravian Geographical Reports 2013, 21, 46 -55.
AMA StyleJan Skála, Radim Vácha, Jarmila Čechmánková, Viera Horváthová. Various Aspects of the Genesis and Perspectives on Agricultural Brownfields in the Czech Republic. Moravian Geographical Reports. 2013; 21 (2):46-55.
Chicago/Turabian StyleJan Skála; Radim Vácha; Jarmila Čechmánková; Viera Horváthová. 2013. "Various Aspects of the Genesis and Perspectives on Agricultural Brownfields in the Czech Republic." Moravian Geographical Reports 21, no. 2: 46-55.