Soil metal(loid) pollution is a threat to ecological and environmental safety. The vegetation recovery in mining areas is of great significance for protecting soil resources. In this study, (1) we first gathered four types of soils to analyse their contamination degree, including tailings mud (TM), wasteland soil (TS) very near TM, as well as non-rhizosphere soils of pepper (PF) and maize (MF) in a farmland downstream from the TM (about 5 km). Geo-accumulation and potential ecological risk indices indicated that the soil samples were mainly polluted by antimony (Sb), arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), and copper (Cu) to different degrees. Leachates of TM resulted in increased Sb, As, and Cd accumulation in TS. (2) Then, we sampled six local plants growing in the TS to assess the possibilities of using these plants as recovery vegetation in TS, of which Persicaria maackiana (Regel) Nakai ex T. Mori absorbed relatively high Sb concentrations in the leaves and roots. (3) After that, we collected rhizosphere soil and tissue samples from eight crops on the above farmland to assess their capacities as recovering vegetation of contaminated farmland soil, of which the fruits of maize accumulated the lowest concentrations of most monitored metal(loid)s (except for Pb). Further, we compared the differences in the bacterial community structure of MF, PF, TM, and TS to assess capacities of cultivating pepper and maize to improve soil microbial community structure. The MF displayed the best characteristics regarding the following attributes: (1) the highest concentrations of OMs and total P; (2) the highest OTU numbers and diversity of bacteria; and (3) the lowest abundance of bacteria with potentially pathogenic and stress-tolerant phenotypes.

Eutric Regosols are globally important but low-fertility soils with poor nutrient retention, limiting crop productivity and increasing environmental risks. This study evaluated whether combining a moderate reduction in synthetic nitrogen (N) fertilizer with organic manure application could rapidly improve soil fertility, sustain maize yield, enhance nitrogen use efficiency (NUE), and increase yield resilience in these soils. A four-year field experiment was conducted on a purple soil (Eutric Regosol) with five treatments: no N (CK), conventional synthetic N (CN), a 20% synthetic N reduction (OP), and the OP treatment combined with 3000 (OPM1) or 6000 (OPM2) kg ha⁻¹ of organic fertilizer. Maize yield, yield components, NUE indices, soil properties, and net economic benefits (NEB) were measured. OP alone reduced yield by 7.57% compared to CN. OPM2 progressively increased yield, surpassing CN by 12.36% after four years, and indicated greater yield resilience during a high-rainfall year. OPM2 also significantly improved topsoil organic matter (+12.9%), total N (+46.3%), and NUE indices over time. Although initial NEB was lower for organic-amended treatments, OPM2 achieved higher economic returns than CN in the latter two years. Integrating a 20% synthetic N reduction with 6000 kg ha⁻¹ of organic manure is an effective strategy for rapid fertility improvement in Eutric Regosols. This approach compensates for yield reductions from less synthetic N, progressively enhances yield and NUE, improves soil health, increases economic returns, and strengthens buffering capacity against high-rainfall events.