Effects of field application of phosphate fertilizers on the availability and uptake of lead, zinc and cadmium by cabbage (Brassica chinensis L.) in a mining tailing contaminated soil

A field trial was conducted to evaluate the reduction of bioavailability of heavy metals including lead (Pb), zinc (Zn) and cadmium (Cd) in a soil contaminated by mining tailings in Shaoxing, Zhejiang, China. Three commercial phosphate (P) fertilizers including phosphate rock (PR), calcium magnesium phosphate (CMP), and single superphosphate (SSP) were applied to the plot at three P application rates, 50, 300, and 500 g/m(2) with 9 treatments and control (CK). Plants, water soluble and exchangeable (WE) extraction procedure and modified toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) were employed. It was found that the addition of all three P fertilizers significantly decreased WE Pb (22.0%-81.4%), Cd (1.5%-30.7%) and Zn (11.7%-75.3%, exception of SSP treatments with no significant difference) and TCLP Pb concentration (27.1%-71.2%), compared with the control, leading to reduced uptake of Pb (16.0%-58.0%), Cd (16.5%-66.9%) and Zn (1.2%-73.2%) by cabbage (Brassica chinensis L.). It was suggested that P fertilizers induced immobilization of heavy metals such as Pb, Cd, and Zn. CMP provided the most effective method of reducing metal toxicity, mobility, and phytoavailability. At the P application rate of 300 g/m(2), CMP would be cost-effective to decrease WE Pb, Zn, and Cd concentration from 666 to 137 mg/kg, from 31.2 to 8.71 mg/kg, and from 1.69 to 1.36 mg/kg, respectively. SSP was more effective in reducing Pb bioavailability than PR but had variable effects on Zn bioavailability. Cd uptake by cabbage was negatively correlated with soil pH rather than with WE or TCLP, indicating that Cd uptake by cabbage was a complex process. It should be careful to evaluate the impact of phosphate application on Cd availability in soil.