Scaccabarozzi, DanielaCastillo, LuisAromatisi, AndreaMilne, LynneBullón Castillo, Adolfo AlejandroMuñoz Rojas, Miriam2022-11-102022-11-102020-06-05Scaccabarozzi, D., Castillo, L., Aromatisi, A., Milne, L., Búllon, A., & Muñoz, M. (2020). Soil, Site, and Management Factors Affecting Cadmium Concentrations in Cacao-Growing Soils. Agronomy, 10(6), 806. doi: 10.3390/agronomy100608062073-4395https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12955/1973Soil contamination by potentially toxic trace elements (PTEs) such as Cadmium (Cd), is a major environmental concern because of its potential implications to human health. Cacao-based products have been identified as food sources with relatively high Cd contents. Here, we assessed Cd concentrations of cacao-growing soils in four major agricultural regions with contrasting climates in Peru, one of the main exporters of cacao products worldwide. At each study site (n = 40) a broad range of potential factors affecting Cd concentration in soils, i.e., site, soil and management, were evaluated. Concentrations of Cd ranged between 1.1-3.2 mg kg-1. Mean values per region were below 2.7 mg kg-1, usually established as upper-limit for non-polluted soils. Cadmium concentrations were significantly (p < 0.001) higher in sites at higher elevations and in a temperate, drier climate. Cadmium correlated positively with pH (r = 0.57; p < 0.05) and was higher (p < 0.001) in alluvial sediments and Leptosols. Management factors (cacao variety, cultivation year, management practices) and agroecology did not affect Cd concentrations directly. Overall, this study highlights the importance of considering a broad range of both natural and anthropogenic factors to evaluate Cd concentrations in cacao-growing soils and contribute to effective and sustainable cacao production by improving land management and planningapplication/pdfenginfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesshttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Cacao plantationCadmiumTrace elementsSoil qualitySustainable land managementinfo:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttps://purl.org/pe-repo/ocde/ford#4.01.04http://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy10060806Productos de cacaoMetales pesados