Carbonate-bound Pb percentage distribution in agricultural soil and its toxicity: Impact on plant growth, nutrient cycling, soil enzymes, and functional genes

Metals pollution of lead in agricultural soils is a serious problem for food safety. Therefore, we investigated the toxic effects of carbonate-bound fraction Pb on agricultural soil from various aspects. The results revealed that a higher carbonate-bound fraction of Pb had more toxic effects on wheat growth, as evidenced by higher malondialdehyde (3.17 μmol g⁻¹ FW) and lower catalase levels (9.77 μg⁻¹ FW min⁻¹). In terms of nutrient cycling, soil nutrients including carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus would slow down transformation rates in high concentrations. Compared to carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus were more likely to be affected by the initial carbonate-bound fraction at the earlier stage. Increased Pb dosage may reduce the soil enzymes activity such as urease (119–50 U g⁻¹) and phosphatase (3191–967 U g⁻¹), as well as the functional genes of nitrogen degradation related nirK, nisS, and carbon related pmoA. Correlation analysis and structural equation modeling indicated that carbonate bound Pb could regulate nutrients cycle via functional genes inhibition, soil enzyme activity reduction and wheat growth suppression in agricultural soil. Our findings will help with polluted agricultural soil monitoring and regulation through microbial activity to ensure food safety.