Changes in the dynamics of the content of nutrients, trace elements and heavy metals in the soils of southern Ukraine affected by hostilities
Abstract
From February through November 2022, intense combat operations took place in southern Ukraine, which affected the chemical properties of agricultural lands, raising concerns about soil contamination with heavy metals and explosive substances. The aim of the study was to determine the agroecological condition of soils affected by hostilities in southern Ukraine in 2024 and 2025 and to conduct a comparative analysis of changes in these indicators following the start of soil preparation and tomato planting by InAgro. The article presents a comparative analysis of the content of trace elements (Zn, Mn, Fe, Cu), nutrients (available nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium), certain physicochemical (pH) and chemical parameters (chloride-anion content), and heavy metals (Cd, Pb) in 2024 and 2025 in the lands of the Snigurivska territorial community managed by InAgro. No agricultural crops were grown during the period from 2022 to 2024. On the soils under study, the farm applied an N20P20K20 fertilizer regimen, which is optimal for tomatoes, and implemented drip irrigation using water from the Ingulets Irrigation System. The results showed a significant reduction in the content of heavy metals and trace elements compared to 2024 with high statistical significance (Pb – a decrease on average from 12.57 ppm to 0.13 ppm (100-fold reduction), Cd – from 0.26 ppm to values below 0.05 ppm (more than 5-fold decrease), Cu – from 4.19 ppm to values below the detection limit (< 0.05 ppm), Mn – from 19.3 ppm to 11.09 ppm (a 42% decrease), Zn – from 10.23 ppm to 0.03 ppm (a 340-fold decrease), which is associated with the cultivation of Solanum lycopersicum L. and the intensive use of irrigation. The practical significance of these results lies in understanding the extent to which cultivated plants influence the content of heavy metals and trace elements in the soil and in determining the potential risk posed by the presence of these elements in the edible parts of cultivated plants