Pulse Brain · Growing Health Evidence Index
Peer-reviewed

Biomass production and heavy metal uptake by crops grown in two contrasting soils amended with sewage sludge

Laura Arló, Andrés Beretta, Virginia Takata, Gimena Arrarte, Ariel A. Szögi, Amabelia del Pino

Discover Soil. · 2025

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Summary

The application of sewage sludge (SS) to agricultural soils offers a sustainable solution for waste management, allowing nutrient recycling through crop production. Heavy metals (HMs) in SS can accumulate in soils and crops, posing risks to the environment and bioaccumulation in the food chain. This study investigated the impact of SS amendment on biomass production, HMs uptake (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) by four crops (chicory, tobacco, tomato and sorghum), and soil properties (pH, electrical conductivity, and HMs content) in a greenhouse experiment. A set of 4.5 L pots were filled with soil-sludge mixture for Typic Argiudoll (S1) and Typic Hapludoll (S2) soils at a 1.56% SS-soil dry weight ratio. Sewage sludge treatment reached 39 Mg ha−1 of dry SS. The amendment increased biomass p

Subject
Pesticides, contaminants & food safety
Source type
Peer-reviewed study
System type
Other
DOI
10.1007/s44378-025-00075-y
Catalogue ID
SNmp2b2m7j-pqepak
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