This article presents the results of an assessment of heavy metal (Cu, Zn, Cd, Pb) contamination in irrigated meadow and meadow-alluvial soil agroecosystems and analyzes their transfer patterns to crop and livestock products. The study was carried out at reference monitoring points across three districts over the 2021–2023 period. The results demonstrated that mobile forms of heavy metals in all studied areas remained substantially below the maximum permissible concentration (MPC) thresholds, with the chemical pollution coefficient (Kp) mostly below 0.1. The highest copper (Cu) concentration was recorded in a district with intensive chemical reclamation and mineral fertilizer application, while zinc (Zn) and lead (Pb) levels were relatively elevated in districts closer to industrial facilities. Among vegetable crops, beet exhibited the highest accumulation coefficient (Kp = 0.33), whereas tomato showed the lowest (Kp = 0.21). Heavy metal levels in dairy products remained within permissible limits, although an upward trend in background lead and cadmium concentrations was identified in one district over recent years. The findings justify the need for continuous ecological monitoring along the soil–plant–animal–human chain.

Heavy metals, soil agroecosystem, pollution coefficient

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