Earth, Atmosphere & Environment Sciences
Title : | Current inventory of heavy metal accumulations in vegetable crops grown in degraded soils and irrigated with metal-rich groundwater and the use of rice-husk biochar, rhizobacteria, and coal fly ash amendments to attenuate metal toxicity in vegetables: a study from the agri-intensive regions of Punjab, India |
Area of research : | Earth, Atmosphere & Environment Sciences |
Principal Investigator : | Dr. Prafulla Kumar Sahoo, Central University Of Punjab |
Timeline Start Year : | 2023 |
Timeline End Year : | 2026 |
Contact info : | prafulla.iitkgp@gmail.com |
Equipments : | Mechanical auger for soil sampling
Alkalinity field kits for water quality analysis
GPS- the Global Positioning System (GPS)
Leaf powder grinder
Refrigerator
3-decimal analytical balance |
Details
Executive Summary : | The Malwa region of Punjab (which commonly known as “cancer capital” of India) faces serious groundwater issues due to heavy metal and metalloid (HMM) contamination. Continuous use of this contaminated water for crop irrigation and excessive application of chemical fertilizers lead to a potential threat to sustainable agriculture and human health in the region, and this maybe one of the causes for highest cancer rates in the region. Despite some studies on rice and wheat, to date, there has been little done on the occurrence and partitioning of HMMs in vegetables and no study has yet identified the link of relative contributions of HMMs from irrigation water, amendments, soils, and their occurrence in crops in this region. A better understanding of HMMs accumulations in soils, metal mobility in soil-rhizopshere, and the mechanisms of plant uptake under different amendments and irrigation water types is crucially important on risk assessment. Also, finding a cost-effective and environmentally sound method for improving soil and crop yield is imperative for a growing population. In this regard, this study will conduct an inventory of HMMs toxicity in different vegetable crops grown in the Malwa region and partitioning of HMMs into edible and non-edible plant parts, focusing on translocation and uptake indices. This will also evaluate heavy metal toxicity in vegetable crops in relationship with contaminated irrigation water and fertilizer application to find the possible cause of metal contamination in crops. In addition, this study will test the efficacy of rice-husk biochar, coal fly ash, mycorrhiza, and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria for removing/immobilizing HMMs from soils amended with different fertilizers and contaminated irrigation water and the translocation of HMMs taken up by the experimental crops under different cropping methods. Determining which crops preferentially accumulate potentially toxic metals will be important for informing policy on the consumption of these crops and human health. A complete assessment of HMM availability in soils, the contribution of each soil additive, species uptake, and translocation variability, and potential livestock and human health impacts will be considered. The overall result of the project will be used as a tool to help decision-makers to develop strategies/policies for sustainable agriculture and its management from heavy metal contamination in the region as well as in the Indo-Gangetic River Basin with the similar conditions. This work will include two major components: 1) an inventory of HMM within the five Districts of the Malwa region, and 2) field trials to determine methods for attenuating HMM (and anionic) availability and uptake by plants using various amendments. The inventory will take place at the rate of one sample per grid of 6 km x 6 km (36 km2) and the field trials (plot trials) will be carried out within the campus of the Central University of Punjab, Bathinda. |
Co-PI: | Dr. Sunil Mittal, Central University Of Punjab, Bathinda, Punjab-151401 |
Total Budget (INR): | 27,02,120 |
Organizations involved