Influence of soil factors on the soil enzyme inhibition by Cd

A comparative study was conducted on the toxicity of Cd to alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) and dehydrogenase activity (DHA) in 18 top soils with contrasting soil properties representative of 14 major soil types in China. Soil pH and carbonate content, soil organic matter, and cation exchange capacity (CEC) largely affected the Cd toxicity on two enzyme activities; with the soil pH having only minor effect on the median ecological dose values based on total Cd concentrations (ED_{50 T}). The values of ED_{50 T}/ED_{50 W} (based on water-soluble Cd content) of alkaline phosphatase and dehydrogenase were strongly influenced by pH and CEC contents, which explained up to 71% of the variation for alkaline phosphatase, 82% of the variation for dehydrogenase, and also were significantly correlated with the parameter K_F derived from Freundlich adsorption isotherms. This study suggests that the values of ED_{50 T}/ED_{50 W} could be useful to evaluate the buffer capacity of soils which protects soil enzymes from harmful effects of heavy metal.