Remediation of soil contaminated with cadmium

The search for the best solutions to restore soil balance is essential for attaining a stable and sustainable agricultural development worldwide. This research, which makes a contribution to these investigations, focuses on four substances (two innovative ones: basalt flour, brown algal extract, and two classic soil improvers: finely ground barley straw and compost) which can potentially alleviate the inhibitory effect of Cd2+ on the soil environment. The following were analyzed: the activity of acid phosphatase and alkaline phosphatase, counts of Pseudomonas sp., cellulolytic bacteria, copiotrophic bacteria and copiotrophic spore-forming bacteria, and the yield of spring barley. Cadmium (Cd2+) was applied as CdCl2 · 2.5H2O in the following doses: 0, 4, 40, 80, 120, 160, and 200 mg Cd2+ kg-1 of soil. For a more complete assessment of the soil, its biochemical properties and the counts of microorganisms were scrutinized with the following indices: RS – soil resistance, R:S – rhizosphere effect and EF – fertilization effect of the contamination alleviating substances. It was found that alkaline phosphatase is more sensitive to cadmium contamination of the soil than acid phosphatase. Cadmium did not exert any inhibitory effect on the number of microorganisms present or the yield of spring barley. Cellulolytic bacteria were the least sensitive to stress associated with the accumulation of high cadmium doses in the soil, whereas copiotrophic bacteria were the most sensitive microorganisms to the above stressor. The ability of cadmium-polluted soil to restore homeostasis depended on the type of a soil improver and the level of soil contamination. Negative consequences of cadmium pollution were effectively mitigated by straw, but less so by brown algal extract and basalt flour.