Evaluation on the environmental quality about lead, cadmium, arsenic, chromium, mercury, copper and fluorine in the soils of Tieguanyin tea plantation in Fujian Province

To learn the main pollutant elements contents in soils and their potential effects on tea production, 150 surface soil samples and the corresponding tea leaves collected from Tieguanyin tea plantations in Anxi, Hua’an and Yongchun Counties of Fujian Province were investigated. The contents of Pb, Cd, As, Cr, Hg, Cu and F in surface soils were analyzed for environmental quality. The results showed that contents of Cd, Pd and F in all soil samples, and contents of Cr, As, Hg in 97% soil samples were lower than the environmental requirement criteria NY/T 853—2004 for tea production. Contents of Cd, Cr, As, Hg in 92% soil samples, and content of Pb in 70% soil samples were lower than the environmental condition criteria NY 5199—2002 for organic tea production. The contents of Cd and F in soils from metamorphic rock, Cr in soils from sandstone, Pb in soils from rhyolitic tuff, As in soils from rhyolite, and Hg and Cu in soils form diorite were higher. The contents of Cd, Pb and Hg were higher in soils under paddy rice than those of Cr and As. There was high amount of Pb in lateritic red soils, high amounts of Cr and As in yellow soils, and high amount of Cu in red soils. It was therefore concluded that most soils of tea gardens in Fujian Province were clean from pollution and safe for tea production.