Application of Biotesting Methods at Assessment of Ecological State of Soils

Abstract

Concentrations of heavy metals (HM) that may have a significant negative impact on plants and soil microbiota have been identified at different pollution levels for sod-podzolic, gray forest, leached chernozem and chestnut soils. The investigated soils can be arranged in descending resistance to HM in the following order: leached chernozem, gray forest soil, chestnut, sod-podzolic soil. A comparison of the results of phytotoxicity determination in growing plants on soils and on soil extracts showed that phytotoxicity on soils polluted with HM appears at lower concentrations than on soil extracts. This is a consequence of low solubility of heavy metal compounds that are strongly sorbed by the mineral and organic components of soils, and also remain in the form of poorly soluble compounds.