Environmental impact assessment of tea garden soils by the heavy metal concentration in Shandong Province, China

Scientific basis was presented to fertility management of tea garden soils, and concentrations of selected heavy metals in them were measured, followed by the environmental impact assessment, for keeping quality and sustainable development in the tea production. For this purpose, twelve surface soil samples were collected at different tea gardens in Qingdao and Jimo Cities, Shandong Province, China. Total concentrations of Cu, Zn, Cr and Pb in the tea garden soils were below the soil environmental standards. The total Cd concentration ranged from 0.32 to 0.81 mg kg^-1 and exceeded the soil environmental standard. The simple pollution index of 1.90 for Cd confirmed pollution of the tea garden soils by Cd. The overall pollution index was 1.38, which indicated the pollution status of "slightly polluted" in the tea garden soils. Based on the results, soil quality management practices in the tea garden soil were proposed.