Machine learning-based prediction of cadmium bioaccumulation capacity and associated analysis of driving factors in tobacco grown in Zunyi City, China

Tobacco grown in areas with high-geochemical backgrounds exhibits considerably different cadmium (Cd) bioaccumulation abilities due to regional disparities and environmental changes. However, the impact of key factors on the Cd bioaccumulation ability of tobacco grown in the karst regions with high selenium (Se) geochemical backgrounds is unclear. Herein, 365 paired rhizospheric soil-grown tobacco samples and 321 topsoil samples were collected from typical karst tobacco-growing soil in southwestern China and analyzed for Cd and Se. XGBoost was used to predict and evaluate the Cd bioaccumulation ability of tobacco and potential influencing factors. Results showed that regional geochemical characteristics, such as soil Cd and Se contents, soil type, and lithology, have the highest influence on the Cd bioaccumulation ability of tobacco, accounting for 46.5% of the overall variation. Moreover, soil Se contents in high-geochemical background areas considerably affect Cd bioaccumulation in tobacco, with a threshold for the mutual suppression effects of Cd and Se at a soil Se content of 0.8 mg/kg. According to the results of bivariate local indicators of spatial association analysis, tobacco cultivated in the central, northeast, and southeast regions of Zunyi City carries a lower risk of soil Cd contamination. This study provides new insights for managing tobacco cultivation in karst regions.