Establishment of Leguminous Trees in the Soil of a Shooting Range

Abstract

Shooting range activities risk contaminating the soil, posing potential risks to human health, the local biota, and water sources. Considering that soil organisms are the first to be affected by contamination, this study aimed to evaluate the initial growth of the leguminous tree Albizia polycephala and its association with microbes in soil taken from this area. The collected soil was placed in 60-ml tubes with legume seeds and stored in a greenhouse for 60 days. The differences in the legumes' growth were not related to the physical and chemical properties of the soil, nor to its metal content, but rather to mycorrhizal colonization and nodulation, which were shown to be effective in creating favorable conditions. This indicates that the site under study has great natural potential for the establishment of tree species, which could be impaired if it continues to be used for shooting practice.

Pollution risk from Pb towards vegetation growing in and around shooting ranges – a review

“…Total Pb concentrations of 100-500 mg/kg in the soil have been reported to be toxic to plants [49]. In addition, Pb concentrations of 30-300 mg/kg in plant tissues are regarded to be toxic and can lead to harmful effects such as decrease in plant dry weight, photosynthesis, root growth and a diminishing ability by the plant roots to absorb water from the soil [3,50]. In Finland, the growth of the pine tree was significantly reduced in an active shooting range compared to the trees growing in an abandoned shooting range [51].…”

“…In plant leaves, Pb toxicity has been linked to reduced rate of chlorophyll synthesis due to its impedance of the plant uptake of nutritional elements such as magnesium and iron [61]. Pb loading in plants has been reported to reduce the rate of photosynthesis due to degradation of the chloroplast, chlorophyll, carotenoids and plastoquinone [3,62]. Elevated concentration of Pb in plants also affects the photosynthesis chemical process through shortage of supply of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) caused by Pb-induced closure of the stomata [62].…”

“…Vegetation and crops in agricultural fields in the vicinity of shooting ranges are at risk of pollution from Pb emanating from the use of Pb-containing munitions [1][2][3]. The extended residence time of Pb in soils due to its insoluble mineralogical products and lack of deterioration from microbial activity means that the bioavailability and bioaccessibility of this toxic heavy metal can exist in the soil for a very long time [1].…”