Abstract

A field survey of heavy metals and sulfur concentrations and mycorrhizal status of plants grown in abandoned lead/zinc mine land was conducted in Gejiu City, Yunnan Province, Southwest China. Low or no root arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) infection was detected in most of the plants for 21 species of 13 families collected from the abandoned Pb/Zn mine land. The maximum concentrations of Pb, Zn, Cd and As was up to 11255.3 ± 1887.2, 5884.2 ± 531.9, 70.5 ± 0.8 and 498.9±38.1 mg/kg in soils, respectively. The maximum concentration of Pb, Zn, Cd and As in plants shoot was 2323.4 ± 125.0, 1273.7 ± 140.0, 238.5 ± 19.5 and 326.7 ± 53.2 mg/kg, and which in plants root was 3480.0 ± 642.9, 1421.6 ± 251.3, 291.8 ± 11.2 and 390.6 ± 30.1 mg/kg, respectively. The average S concentrations were 0.29 and 0.19% DW in plants shoots and roots, respectively. Significant correlation between S and Pb, Zn, As concentrations in plants shoots, and between S and Pb, Zn, Cd, As concentrations in plants roots was observed.

Key words: Lead/zinc mine, heavy metal, sulfur, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, relation, Gejiu.