Assessment of soil properties from catchment areas of Ravi and Beas rivers: a review

Abstract

Soil is a substantive environmental medium that is subjected to various physiochemical challenges derived by natural, as well as human activities. The present review attempts to summarize the pollution status of soil from the catchments areas of Beas and Ravi Rivers in Punjab, India, as reported by different workers. Principal component analysis (PCA) showed that anthropogenic activities and lithogenic factors are the major sources of metals. The average values of heavy metals of Beas River for heavy metals, Cr, Cu, Co, and Cd, were lower than the values suggested by Awasthi, European Union, and Ewers. The average values of C (0.29%), P (0.05 mg/g), and N (0.13 mg/g) were found for the Beas River, whereas for Ravi River the average values recorded were C (0.32%), P (0.01 mg/g), and N (0.16 mg/g). The results of contamination factor (CF) indicate that soil of Beas River is less contaminated by the metals. The results of ecological risk index indicate that metals showed low ecological risk in the soils of Beas River.

Response of soil environment factors and microbial communities to phytoremediation with Robinia pseudoacacia in an open‐cut magnesite mine

“…In the magnesite area, the direct influences of magnesite mining on surrounding environments come from the deposition of Mg‐rich dust generated, mainly composed of MgO and MgCO 3 , during magnesite mining and calcinations process, which settles on the surface and forms dense crust under the action of rainfall and weathering, severely affects the surrounding soil properties and vegetation growth (Yang, Zhao, Mao, Li, & Zeng, ; Fazekašová, Fazekaš, Hronec, & Horňak, ; Blanár et al, ). There is ample evidence indicating that Mg‐rich dust emission from magnesite mining has caused serious soil contamination (Fazekaš, Fazekašová, Hronec, Benková, & Boltižiar, ), hampering the soil health (Burges, Alkorta, Epelde, & Garbisu, ; Kumar et al, ). The soil pH value increases remarkably when the concentration of magnesium reaches a certain value in a large amount of magnesium‐deposited soil (Csikósoya, Ćulkoya, & Antośoya, ), resulting in a reduction in the contents of soil organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and other elements (Yang et al, ), influencing the effectiveness of nutrients in soil solutions (Zhou, ), affecting the soil enzyme activity, microbial biomass, and microbial metabolic activity (Yang et al, ; Yang, Zeng, & Zhao, ), leading to serious soil damage (Fu et al, ) and a sharp decline in forest vegetation and land productivity around the mine (Blanár et al, ).…”

Appraisal of Pollution and Source Apportionment of Potentially Toxic Elements in Different Soils Collected around the Industrial Area

“…The rapid and incessant usage of inorganic pesticides, herbicides etc., has led to degradation of major agricultural edaphic system. Automobiles and other transportation systems also pollute the nearby fields (Kumar et al, 2019b). Amid other unwanted contaminants, heavy metals (HMs) form major pollutants having the starkest impact of plants.…”

Ecological and human health risks appraisal of metal(loid)s in agricultural soils: a review

“…Metal(loid)s sources in the agricultural soils assisted as a foundation for the management that ambition to attain good organisation of soil quality, which safeguards human health and soil environs (Kumar et al, 2019c;Heidari, Kumar, & Keshavarzi, 2019). Thus, it is very imperative to apportion the contamination of metal(loid)s in the agricultural soils.…”