The impact of greenhouse vegetable farming duration and soil types on phytoavailability of heavy metals and their health risk in eastern China

Heavy metal contamination in vegetables from greenhouse vegetable production (GVP) in China requires major attention. For GVP sustainability at a large regional level, 441 surface GVP soil and 132 corresponding greenhouse vegetable samples were collected from six typical GVP bases in eastern China to systematically evaluate the impact of GVP duration and soil types (Anthrosols and Cambosols) on phytoavailability of four major metals, Cd, Cu, Zn, and Pb, and their health risk. The results revealed high Cd accumulation in leaf vegetables grown in Anthrosols, which might pose potential health risk. Regardless of soil types in the study region, greenhouse farming lowered soil pH and enhanced metal availability with rising GVP duration, which might exacerbate Cd phytoavailability and vegetable Cd contamination as well as potential health risk. Also, increased GVP soil organic matter contents over time, found in some locations, affected crop-depending Cu and Zn uptakes. Furthermore, due to GVP, the annual decrease rate of soil pH and increase rates of soil available metal concentrations were generally much greater in Anthrosols than those in Cambosols, which contributed a lot to high Cd uptake by leaf vegetables grown in Anthrosols and their potential health risk. From sustainable GVP perspective, fertilization strategy with reduced frequency and rate is especially important and effective for abating soil and vegetable contamination by heavy metals under greenhouse farming.