Watering regime influences Cd concentrations in cultivated spinach

• Published in: Journal of environmental management Vol. 186; no. Pt 2; pp. 201 - 206
• Main Author: Tack, Filip M.G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 15.01.2017
• Subjects: Agricultural Irrigation - methods; Agriculture - methods; Cadmium; Cadmium - analysis; Cadmium - pharmacokinetics; Computer Simulation; crops; Crops, Agricultural; Food Contamination - analysis; Food safety; Horticulture; Monte Carlo Method; risk; soil; Soil - chemistry; Soil Pollutants - analysis; Soil Pollutants - pharmacokinetics; Spinach; Spinacia oleracea - chemistry; Spinacia oleracea - metabolism; Vegetables; water supply; Cadmium; Food safety; Vegetables; Spinach; Horticulture
• ISSN: 0301-4797; 1095-8630
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2016.05.056

In washed spinach, a maximum Cd concentration of 0.20 mg/kg fresh weight (FW) is allowed according to European regulations. Producers experience that this concentration can sometimes be exceeded even on soils with baseline Cd concentrations. There is a growing need to quantify the factors determining Cd uptake in the crop in order to anticipate the risk of exceedance when selecting a field for cultivation. Interseasonal variation in precipitation may be one of the factors influencing Cd uptake by crops. A pot experiment was set up where spinach plants were subject to different watering regimes. Treatment with more limited water supply during periods of high demand resulted in significantly higher accumulated Cd concentrations (0.25–0.31 versus 0.17–0.23 mg/kg FW). Concentrations at or above the maximum allowed limit were of concern, considering that the soil used in the experiment originated from a typical field in an agricultural region without any specific contamination. Probabilities to exceed maximum concentrations in the different watering regimes were estimated using Monte Carlo simulation. Results suggested that the watering regimes significantly determine the effective risk of exceeding the maximum concentrations. Their effects may be of high practical importance in the field. •Maximum allowable Cd levels in spinach exceeded in soil with baseline Cd contents.•Moisture regime significantly impacts Cd concentrations in spinach.•More dry conditions lead to a higher Cd concentration in spinach.•Risk for exceeding acceptable Cd levels is strongly determined by the watering regime.