Sustainability of crop production from polluted lands

Abstract

Sustainable food production for a rapidly growing global population is a major challenge of this century. In order to meet the demand for food production, an additional land area of 2.7–4.9 Mha year⁻¹ will be required for agriculture. However, one-third of arable lands are already contaminated; therefore, the use of polluted lands will have to feature highly in modern agriculture. The use of such lands comes, however, with additional challenges, and suitable agrotechnological interventions are essential for ensuring the safety and sustainability of relevant production system. There are also other issues to consider, such as cost–benefit analysis, the possible entry of pollutants into the phytoproducts, certification and marketing of such products, in order to achieve the large-scale exploitation of polluted lands. The present article addresses the sustainability challenges of crop production from polluted lands and briefly outlines the plausible strategies for using polluted lands for sustainable agricultural extensification.

Keywords

Polluted lands / Crop production / Sustainability / Agricultural extensification / Bioeconomy / Phytoproducts

References

[1] Abhilash PC, Dubey RK. Root system engineering: prospects and promises. Trends Plant Sci, 2015, 20: 1360-1385

[2] Abhilash PC, Jamil S, Singh N. Transgenic plants for enhanced biodegradation and phytoremediation of organic xenobiotics. Biotechnol Adv, 2009, 27: 474-488

[3] Abhilash PC, Powell JR, Singh HB, Singh BK. Plant-microbe interactions: novel applications for exploitation in multipurpose remediation technologies. Trend Biotechnol, 2012, 30: 416-420

[4] Abhilash PC, Dubey RK, Tripathi V, Srivastava P, Verma JP, Singh HB. Remediation and management of POPs-contaminated soils in a warming climate: challenges and perspectives. Environ Sci Pollut Res, 2013, 20: 5879-5885

[5] Abhilash PC, Singh B, Srivastava P, Schaeffer A, Singh N. Remediation of lindane by Jatropha Curcas L: utilization of multipurpose species for rhizoremediation. Biomass Bioenergy, 2013, 51: 189-193

[6] Álvareza A, Yañez ML, Benimeli CS, Amoroso MJ. Maize plants (Zea mays) root exudates enhance lindane removal by native Streptomyces strains. Int Biodeterior Biodegrad, 2012, 66: 14-18

[7] Anawar HM, Freitas MC, Canha N, Santa Regina I. Arsenic, antimony, and other trace element contamination in a mine tailings affected area and uptake by tolerant plant species. Environ Geochem Health, 2011, 33: 353-362

[8] Anderson K. Globalization’s effects on world agricultural trade, 1960–2050. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci, 2010, 365: 3007-3021

[9] Banwart S. Save our soils. Nature, 2011, 474: 151-152

[10] Bauddh K, Singh RP. Growth, tolerance efficiency and phytoremediation potential of Ricinus communis (L.) and Brassica juncea (L.) in salinity and drought affected cadmium contaminated soil. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf, 2012, 85: 13-22

[11] Beilstein MA, Whanger PD, Yang GQ. Chemical forms of selenium in corn and rice grown in a high selenium area of China. Biomed Environ Sci, 1991, 4: 392-398

[12] Bonanno G, Cirelli GL, Toscano A, Giudice RL, Pavone P. Heavy metal content in ash of energy crops growing in sewage-contaminated natural wetlands: potential applications in agriculture and forestry?. Sci Total Environ, 2013, 452–453: 349-354

[13] Borland AM, Griffiths H, Hartwell J, Smith JA. Exploiting the potential of plants with crassulacean acid metabolism for bioenergy production on marginal lands. J Exp Bot, 2009, 60: 2879-2896

[14] Cai X, Zhang X, Wang D. Land availability for biofuel production. Environ Sci Technol, 2011, 45: 334-339

[15] Castillo OS, Dasgupta-Schubert N, Alvarado CJ, Zaragoza EM, Villegas HJ. The effect of the symbiosis between Tagetes erecta L. (marigold) and Glomus intraradices in the uptake of copper(II) and its implications for phytoremediation. Nat Biotechnol, 2011, 29: 156-164

[16] Chatterjee S, Singh L. A study on the waste metal remediation using floriculture at East Calcutta Wetlands, a Ramsar site in India. Environ Monit Assess, 2012, 184: 5139-5150

[17] Chen BC, Lai HY, Lee DY, Juang KW. Using chemical fractionation to evaluate the phytoextraction of cadmium by switchgrass from Cd-contaminated soils. Ecotoxicology, 2011, 20: 409-418

[18] Dary M, Chamber-Pérez MA, Palomares AJ, Pajuelo E. “In situ” phytostabilisation of heavy metal polluted soils using Lupinus luteus inoculated with metal resistant plant-growth promoting rhizobacteria. J Hazard Mater, 2010, 177: 323-330

[19] de Abreu CA, Coscione AR, Pires AM, Paz-Ferreiro J. Phytoremediation of a soil contaminated by heavy metals and boron using castor oil plants and organic matter amendments. J Geochem Explor, 2012, 123: 3-7

[20] Delucchi M (2006) Life cycle analyses of biofuels. Draft report, Institute of Transportation Studies, University of California, Davis. http://www.its.ucdavis.edu/publications/2006/UCD-ITS-RR-06-08.pdf

[21] Doty SL, Oakley B, Xin G. Diazotrophic endophytes of native black cottonwood and willow. Symbiosis, 2009, 47: 23-33

[22] Dubey RK, Tripathi V, Singh N, Abhilash PC. Phytoextraction of lindane by Spinacia oleracia L. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf, 2014, 109: 22-26

[23] Dubey PK, Singh GS, Abhilash PC. Agriculture in a changing climate. J Clean Prod, 2016

[24] Dziubanek G, Piekut A, Rusin M, Baranowska R, Hajok I. Contamination of food crops grown on soils with elevated heavy metals content. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf, 2015, 118: 183-189

[25] Edrisi SA, Abhilash PC. Exploring marginal and degraded lands for biomass and bioenergy production: an Indian scenario. Renew Sustain Energy Rev, 2016, 54: 1537-1551

[26] Edrisi SA, Dubey RK, Tripathi V Jatropha curcas L.: a crucified plant waiting for resurgence. Renew Sustain Energy Rev, 2015, 41: 855-862

[27] El-Temsah YS. Effects of nano-sized zero-valent iron (nZVI) on DDT degradation in soil and its toxicity to collembola and ostracods. Chemosphere, 2013, 92: 131-137

[28] Fairley P. Next generation biofuels. Nat Outlook Biofuel, 2011, 474: 2-5

[29] Foley JA, Ramankutty N, Brauman KA Solutions for a cultivated planet. Nature, 2011, 478: 337-342

[30] Gao X, Lu X, Wu M, Zhang H, Pan R, Tian J, Li S, Liao H. Co-inoculation with rhizobia and AMF inhibited soybean red crown rot: from field study to plant defense-related gene expression analysis. PLoS ONE, 2012, 7: e33977

[31] Garnett T, Appleby MC, Balmford A Sustainable intensification in agriculture: premises and policies. Science, 2013, 341: 33-34

[32] Germaine KJ, Keogh E, Ryan D, Dowling DN. Bacterial endophyte-mediated naphthalene phytoprotection and phytoremediation. FEMS Microbiol Lett, 2009, 296: 226-234

[33] Gilbert N. A hard look at GM crops. Nature, 2013, 497: 24-26

[34] Godfray HCJ, Garnett T. Food security and sustainable intensification. Philos Trans R Soc B, 2014, 369: 1471-2970

[35] Godfray HCJ, Beddington JR, Crute IR Food security: the challenge of feeding 9 billion people. Science, 2010, 327: 812-818

[36] González-Chávez MDC, Carrillo-González R. Tolerance of Chrysantemum maximum to heavy metals: the potential for its use in the revegetation of tailings heaps. J Environ Sci, 2013, 25: 367-375

[37] Guo J, Feng R, Ding Y, Wang R. Applying carbon dioxide, plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium and EDTA can enhance the phytoremediation efficiency of ryegrass in a soil polluted with zinc, arsenic, cadmium and lead. J Environ Manag, 2014, 141C: 1-8

[38] Houben D, Evrard L, Sonnet P. Beneficial effects of biochar application to contaminated soils on the bioavailability of Cd, Pb and Zn and the biomass production of rapeseed (Brassica napus L.). Biomass Bioenergy, 2013, 57: 196-204

[39] Huang H, Yu N, Wang L. The phytoremediation potential of bioenergy crop Ricinus communis for DDTs and cadmium co-contaminated soil. Bioresour Technol, 2011, 102: 11034-11038

[40] Hur M, Kim Y, Song HR, Kim JM, Im Choi Y, Yi H. Effect of genetically modified Poplars on soil microbial communities during the phytoremediation of waste mine tailings. Appl Environ Microbiol, 2011, 77: 7611-7619

[41] Ilbas AI, Yilmaz S, Akbulut M, Bogdevich O. Uptake and distribution of selenium, nitrogen and sulfur in three Barley cultivars subjected to selenium applications. J Plant Nutr, 2012, 35: 442-452

[42] Irshad M, Ahmad S, Pervez A, Inoue M. Phytoaccumulation of heavy metals in natural plants thriving on wastewater effluent at Hattar industrial estate, Pakistan. Int J Phytoremediat, 2014, 17: 154-158

[43] Ismail A, Riaz M, Akhtar S, Ismail T, Amir M, Zafar-ul-Hye M. Heavy metals in vegetables and respective soils irrigated by canal, municipal waste and tube well water. Food Addit Contam Part B, 2014, 7: 213-219

[44] Jacobsen SE, Sørensen M, Pedersen SM, Weiner J. Feeding the world: genetically modified crops versus agricultural biodiversity. Agron Sustain Dev, 2013, 33: 651-662

[45] Jamil S, Abhilash PC, Singh N, Sharma PN. Jatropha curcas: a potential crop for phytoremediation of coal fly ash. J Hazard Mater, 2009, 172: 269-275

[46] Junttila S, Rudd S. Characterization of a transcriptome from a non-model organism, Cladonia rangiferina, the grey reindeer lichen, using high-throughput next generation sequencing and EST sequence data. BMC Genom, 2012, 13: 575

[47] Juwarkar AA, Yadav SK, Kumar P, Singh SK. Effect of biosludge and biofertilizer amendment on growth of Jatropha curcas in heavy metal contaminated soils. Environ Monit Assess, 2008, 145: 7-15

[48] Karigar CS, Rao SS. Role of microbial enzymes in the bioremediation of pollutants: a review. Enzyme Res, 2011

[49] Karn B, Kuiken T, Otto M. Nanotechnology and in situ remediation: a review of the benefits and potential risks. Environ Health Perspect, 2009, 117: 1823-1831

[50] Kashem MA Effect of lherzolite on chemical fractions of Cd and Zn and their uptake by plants in contaminated soil. Water Air Soil Pollut, 2010, 207: 241-251

[51] Khan S, Rehman S, Khan AZ, Khan MA, Shah MT. Soil and vegetables enrichment with heavy metals from geological sources in Gilgit, northern Pakistan. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf, 2010, 73: 1820-1827

[52] Kline KL, Coleman MD. Woody energy crops in the southeastern United States: two centuries of practitioner experience. Biomass Bioenergy, 2010, 34: 1655-1666

[53] Köhler HR, Triebskorn R. Wildlife ecotoxicology of pesticides: can we track effects to the population level and beyond?. Science, 2013, 341: 759-765

[54] Kříbek B, Majer V, Knésl I, Nyambe I, Mihaljevič M, Ettler V, Sracek O. Concentrations of arsenic, copper, cobalt, lead and zinc in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) growing on uncontaminated and contaminated soils of the Zambian Copperbelt. J Afr Earth Sci, 2014, 99: 713-723

[55] Kumar BM. Mining waste contaminated lands: an uphill battle for improving crop productivity. J Degrad Min Land Manag, 2013, 1: 43-50

[56] Lal K, Minhas PS, Chaturvedi RK, Yadav RK. Extraction of cadmium and tolerance of three annual cut flowers on Cd-contaminated soils. Bioresour Technol, 2008, 99: 1006-1011

[57] Lambin EF, Meyfrodt P. Global land use change, economic globalization, and the looming land scarcity. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2011, 108: 3465-3472

[58] Ling-Zhi L Growth, cadmium accumulation and physiology of marigold (Tagetes erecta L.) as affected by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Pedosphere, 2011, 21: 319-327

[59] Liu R, Zhao D. Synthesis and characterization of a new class of stabilized apatite nanoparticles and applying the particles to in situ Pb immobilization in a fire-range soil. Chemosphere, 2013, 91: 594-601

[60] Machado A, Magalhães C, Mucha AP, Almeida CM, Bordalo AA. Microbial communities within saltmarsh sediments: composition, abundance and pollution constraints. Estuar Coast Shelf Sci, 2012, 99: 145-152

[61] Madejón P, Barba-Brioso C, Lepp NW, Fernández-Caliani JC. Traditional agricultural practices enable sustainable remediation of highly polluted soils in Southern Spain for cultivation of food crops. J Environ Manag, 2011, 92: 1828-1836

[62] Mallampati SR, Mitoma Y, Okuda T, Sakita S, Kakeda M. Total immobilization of soil heavy metals with nano-Fe/Ca/CaO dispersion mixtures. Environ Chem Lett, 2013, 11: 119-125

[63] Marchal G, Smith KE, Mayer P, de Jonge LW, Karlson UG. Impact of soil amendments and the plant rhizosphere on PAH behaviour in soil. Environ Pollut, 2014, 188: 124-131

[64] Meers E, Van Slycken S, Adriaensen K The use of bio-energy crops (Zea mays) for “phytoattenuation” of heavy metals on moderately contaminated soils: a field experiment. Chemosphere, 2010, 78: 35-41

[65] Meister R, Rajani MS, Ruzicka D, Schachtman DP. Challenges of modifying root traits in crops for agriculture. Trends Plant Sci, 2014, 19: 779-788

[66] Montanarella L, Vargas R. Global governance of soil resources as a necessary condition for sustainable development. Curr Opin Environ Sustain, 2012, 4: 559-564

[67] Murakami M, Ae N, Ishikawa S. Phytoextraction of cadmium by rice (Oryza sativa L.), soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.), and maize (Zea mays L.). Environ Pollut, 2007, 145: 96-103

[68] Myers SS, Zanobetti A, Kloog I Increasing CO₂ threatens human nutrition. Nature, 2014, 510: 139-142

[69] Olivares AR, Carrillo-González R, González-Chávez MD, Hernández RM. Potential of castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) for phytoremediation of mine tailings and oil production. J Environ Manag, 2013, 114: 316-323

[70] Pavel PB, Puschenreiter M, Wenzel WW, Diacu E, Barbu CH. Aided phytostabilization using Miscanthus sinensis × giganteus on heavy metal-contaminated soils. Sci Total Environ, 2014, 479–480: 125-131

[71] Popp J, Pető K, Nagy J. Pesticide productivity and food security. A review. Agron Sustain Dev, 2013, 33: 243-255

[72] Rao MA, Scelza R, Scotti R, Gianfreda L. Role of enzymes in the remediation of polluted environments. J Soil Sci Plant Nutr, 2010, 10: 333-353

[73] Rastogi A, Mishra BK, Singh M, Mishra R, Shukla S. Role of micronutrients on quantitative traits and prospects of its accumulation in linseed (Linum usitatissimum L.). Arch Agron Soil Sci, 2014, 60: 1389-1409

[74] Ravikumar M, Sarita P, Naga Raju GJ, Bhuloka Reddy S. Trace element accumulation in the leaves of Azadirachta indica and Pongamia glabra collected from different environmental sites. J Environ Res Dev, 2013, 7: 1209-1215

[75] Rayman MP. Food-chain selenium and human health: emphasis on intake. Br J Nutr, 2008, 100: 254-268

[76] Rayman MP, Infante HG, Sargent M. Food-chain selenium and human health: spotlight on speciation. Br J Nutr, 2008, 100: 238-253

[77] Rockström J, Steffen W, Noone K A safe operating space for humanity. Nature, 2009, 461: 472-475

[78] Ronald P. Plant genetics, sustainable agriculture and global food security. Genetics, 2011, 188: 111-120

[79] Ruttens A, Boulet J, Weyens N. Short rotation coppice culture of willows and poplars as energy crops on metal contaminated agricultural soils. Int J Phytoremediat, 2011, 13: 94-207

[80] Schmidt W. Root systems biology. Front Plant Sci, 2014, 5: 1-2

[81] Segura A, Ramos JL. Plant–bacteria interactions in the removal of pollutants. Curr Opin Biotechnol, 2013, 24: 467-473

[82] Singh R, Misra V, Singh RP. Removal of Cr(VI) by nanoscale zero-valent iron (nZVI) from soil contaminated with tannery wastes. Bull Environ Contam Toxicol, 2012, 88: 210-214

[83] Sipos G, Solti A, Czech V, Vashegyi I, Tóth B, Cseh E, Fodor F. Heavy metal accumulation and tolerance of energy grass (Elymus elongatus subsp. ponticus cv. Szarvasi-1) grown in hydroponic culture. Plant Physiol Biochem, 2013, 68: 96-103

[84] Solís-Domínguez FA, Valentín-Vargas A, Chorover J, Maier RM. Effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on plant biomass and the rhizosphere microbial community structure of mesquite grown in acidic lead/zinc mine tailings. Sci Total Environ, 2011, 409: 1009-1016

[85] Stadlober M, Sager M, Irgolic KJ. Effects of selenate supplemented fertilization on the selenium level of cereals-identification and quantification of selenium compounds by HPLC–ICP-MS. Food Chem, 2001, 73: 357-366

[86] Stasinos S, Zabetakis I. The uptake of nickel and chromium from irrigation water by potatoes, carrots and onions. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf, 2013, 91: 122-128

[87] Tang Y, Xie JS, Geng S. Marginal land-based biomass energy production in China. J Integr Plant Biol, 2010, 52: 112-121

[88] Técher D, Laval-Gilly P, Henry S Contribution of Miscanthus x giganteus root exudates to the biostimulation of PAH degradation: an in vitro study. Sci Total Environ, 2011, 409: 4489-4495

[89] Tian YL, Zhang HY, Guo W, Wei XF. Morphological responses, biomass yield and bioenergy potential of sweet sorghum cultivated in cadmium- contaminated soil for biofuel. Int J Green Energy, 2014, 12: 577-584

[90] Tripathi P, Singh PC, Mishra A, Chauhan PS, Dwivedi S, Bais RT, Tripathi RD. Trichoderma: a potential bioremediator for environmental cleanup. Clean Technol Environ Policy, 2013, 15: 541-550

[91] Tripathi V, Dubey RK, Edrisi SA, Narain K, Singh HB, Singh N, Abhilash PC. Towards the ecological profiling of a pesticide contaminated soil site for remediation and management. Ecol Eng, 2014, 71: 318-325

[92] Tripathi V, Dubey RK, Singh N, Singh HB, Abhilash PC. Is Vigna radiata is suitable for cropping in lindane contaminated soil?. Ecol Eng, 2014, 73: 219-223

[93] Tripathi V, Fraceto LF, Abhilash PC. Sustainable clean-up technologies for soils contaminated with multiple pollutants: plant–microbe–pollutant and climate nexus. Ecol Eng, 2015, 82: 330-335

[94] Tripathi V, Abhilash PC, Singh HB, Patra DD, Singh N. Effect of temperature variation on lindane dissipation and microbial activity in soils. Ecol Eng, 2015, 79: 54-59

[95] Vamerali T, Bandiera M, Lucchini P, Dickinson NM, Mosca G. Long-term phytomanagement of metal-contaminated land with field crops: integrated remediation and biofortification. Eur J Agron, 2014, 53: 56-66

[96] Van Slycken S, Witters N, Meers E Safe use of metal-contaminated agricultural land by cultivation of energy maize (Zea mays). Environ Pollut, 2013, 178: 375-380

[97] Vandenhove H, Hees MV. Fibre crops as alternative land use for radioactively contaminated arable land. J Environ Radioact, 2005, 81: 131-141

[98] Villordon AQ, Ginzberg I, Firon N. Root architecture and root and tuber crop productivity. Trends Plant Sci, 2014, 19: 419-425

[99] Vishnoi SR, Srivastava PN (2008) Phytoremediation-green for environmental clean. In: The 12th world lake conference, pp 1016–1021

[100] Wang XF, Zhou QX. Ecotoxicological effects of cadmium on three ornamental plants. Chemosphere, 2005, 60: 16-21

[101] Wang GD, Li QJ, Luo B, Chen XY. Ex planta phytoremediation of trichlorophenol and phenolic allelochemicals via an engineered secretory laccase. Nat Biotechnol, 2004, 22: 893-897

[102] Warren GP, Alloway BJ, Lepp NW, Singh B, Bochereau FJ, Penny C. Field trials to assess the uptake of arsenic by vegetables from contaminated soils and soil remediation with iron oxides. Sci Total Environ, 2003, 311: 19-33

[103] Weyens N, van der Lelie D, Taghavi S, Newman L, Vangronsveld J. Exploiting plant microbe partnerships to improve biomass production and remediation. Trend Biotechnol, 2009, 27: 591-598

[104] Weyens N, Beckers B, Schellingen K. The potential of the Ni-resistant TCE-degrading Pseudomonas putida W619-TCE to reduce phytotoxicity and improve phytoremediation efficiency of poplar cuttings on a Ni-TCE co-contamination. Int J Phytoremediat, 2013, 17: 40-48

[105] Williams PN, Lombi E, Sun GX. Selenium characterization in the global rice supply chain. Environ Sci Technol, 2009, 43: 6024-6030

[106] Willscher S, Mirgorodsky D, Jablonski L. Field scale phytoremediation experiments on a heavy metal and uranium contaminated site, and further utilization of the plant residues. Hydrometallurgy, 2013, 131–132: 46-53

[107] Ye-Tao TA, Teng-Hao-Bo DE, Qi-Hang WU. Designing cropping systems for metal-contaminated sites: a review. Pedosphere, 2012, 22: 470-488

[108] Yu L, Zhu J, Huang Q, Su D, Jiang R, Li H. Application of a rotation system to oilseed rape and rice fields in Cd-contaminated agricultural land to ensure food safety. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf, 2014, 108: 287-293

[109] Zaidi S, Usmani S, Singh BR, Musarrat J. Significance of Bacillus subtilis strain SJ-101 as a bioinoculant for concurrent plant growth promotion and nickel accumulation in Brassica juncea. Chemosphere, 2006, 64: 991-997

[110] Zhang WX. Nanoscale iron particles for environmental remediation: an overview. J Nanoparticle Res, 2003, 5: 323-332

[111] Zhao FJ, McGrath SP. Biofortification and phytoremediation. Curr Opin Plant Biol, 2009, 12: 373-380

[112] Zhu YG, Pilon-Smits EA, Zhao FJ, Williams PN, Meharg AA. Selenium in higher plants: understanding mechanisms for biofortification and phytoremediation. Trend Plant Sci, 2009, 14: 436-442

[113] Zhuang P, Shu W, Li Z, Liao B, Li J, Shao J. Removal of metals by sorghum plants from contaminated land. J Environ Sci, 2009, 21: 1432-1437

Funding

INSA