The possibilities of restoring the enzymatic balance of soil contaminated with cadmium
by Magdalena Zaborowska; Jadwiga Wyszkowska; Jan Kucharski
International Journal of Environment and Pollution (IJEP), Vol. 58, No. 3, 2015

Abstract: The effectiveness of four substances, including two innovative products - basalt meal and algae extract, and two conventional soil improvers - barley straw and compost, was evaluated in this study. The activities of soil enzymes (dehydrogenases, urease, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase and catalase) in response to increasing Cd²⁺ doses were monitored. Enzymatic activity levels were used to calculate indicators of soil resistance (RS) and soil resilience (RL). The evaluated enzymes were classified in the following order based on their sensitivity to soil pollution with Cd²⁺: dehydrogenases > urease > alkaline phosphatase > acid phosphatase > catalase. Barley straw was most effective in mitigating the adverse impact of Cd²⁺ on the biochemical properties of soil, whereas algae extract and compost were less effective soil amendments. Compost neutralised the inhibitory effect of Cd²⁺ on enzymatic activity, but it significantly enhanced the analysed metal's negative impact on oat yield. Basalt meal was not an effective soil improver.

Online publication date: Wed, 22-Jun-2016

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