Total concentration and spatial distribution of metals in sloped vineyard soil at the SUPREHILL observatory

Frequent use of agrochemicals results in increased concentration of certain metals in vineyard soils, with the slope of terrain promoting their uneven spatial distribution. Therefore, at the SUPREHILL critical zone observatory (Jazbina experimental station, Zagreb), 27 vineyard soil samples were taken at three soil depths (0-30, 30-60, 60-90 cm) in October of 2020 at the top, middle, and the bottom of the slope, and digested in Aqua regia by microwave technique using MARSXpress system, CEM (HRN ISO 11466:2004). Metal (Fe, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Hg) total concentrations in soil extracts were then measured using ICP-OES (Vista MPX AX, Varian ; HRN ISO 22036:2011). Data processing was done using Statistical Analysis Software (SAS Institute Inc., Version 8.3 Update 1, Cary NC USA, 2019-2020), with the analysis of variance done using One-Way ANOVA, and the significance of differences between the means determined using Tukey's test at P