A study on Se application for improving the soil in the environment at lower Se level

A result that application of sodium selenite or fly ash to some of soilin loess plateau can increase Se content in wheat grain has been demonstrated by the pot and field experiments, and added Se in soil can last its availability for 3 years. So this is a good measure for improving the low Se soils and preventing the Kaschin-Beck disease.     

Fractionation and solubility of cadmium in paddy soils amended with porous hydrated calcium silicate

Previous studies have shown that porous hydrated calcium silicate （PS） is very effective in decreasing cadmium （Cd） content in brown rice. However, it is unclear whether the PS influences cadmium transformation in soil. The present study examined the effect of PS on pH, cadmium transformation and cadmium solubility in Andosol and Alluvial soil, and also compared its effects with CaCO3, acidic porous hydrated calcium silicate （APS） and silica gel. Soil cadmium was operationally fractionationed into exchangeable （Exch）, bound to carbonates （Carb）, bound to iron and manganese oxides （FeMnOx）, bound to organic matters （OM） and residual （Res） fraction. Application of PS and CaCO3 at hig rates enhanced soil pH, while APS and silica gel did not obviously change soil pH. PS and CaCO3 also increased the FeMnOx-Cd in Andosol and Carb-Cd in Alluvial soil, thus reducing the Exch-Cd in the tested soils. However, PS was less effective than CaCO3 at the same application rate. Cadmium fractions in the two soils were not changed by the treatments of APS and silica gel. There were no obvious differences in the solubility of cadmium in soils treated with PS, APS, silica gel and CaCO3 except Andosol treated 2.0% CaCO3 at the same pH of soil-CaC12 suspensions. These findings suggested that the decrease of cadmium availability in soil was mainly attributed to the increase of soil pH caused by PS.     

Mercury in some chemical fertilizers and the effect of calcium superphosphate on mercury uptake by corn seedlings(Zea mays L.)

Mercury (Hg) contents in ten chemical fertilizers were determined, and the effect of calcium superphosphate (CSP) on the uptake and translocation of Hg in corn seedlings was investigated by pot experiments. CSP was applied at the levels of 0, 66.7, and 133.4 mg P2O5/kg to Hg-treated (2 mg/kg) and untreated soils. CSP had the highest Hg content (5.1 mg/kg), followed by the NPK compound fertilizer 15-5-5 (15% N, 5% P2O5, 5% K2O) (1.2 mg/kg), then by nitrogen fertilizers (except for ammonia sulfate) and potassium fertilizers. Application of CSP did not obviously iuence the biomass of corn roots, but it significantly increased the biomass of corn shoots in Hg-treated soil. Application of CSP at the levels of 66.7 and 133.4 mg P2O5/kg did not obviously iuence the uptake of Hg by corn seedlings on soils without Hg treatment, but it decreased the Hg uptake of corn seedlings significantly on Hg-treated soils. The transfer coefficient of Hg in corn seedlings improved slightly on soils without Hg treatment, but decreased slightly on Hg-treated soils with the application of CSP. These results implied that CSP could ameliorate Hg toxicity to corn seedlings by inhibiting the uptake and the translocation of Hg in plants on Hg-polluted soils.     

Changes in the sorption, desorption, distribution, and availability of copper, induced by application of sewage sludge on Chilean soils contaminated by mine tailings

The effect of mine tailings and sewage sludge was evaluated on sorption, desorption, availability and distribution of copper in two soils, one high (sandy soil) and one low in copper (clay soil). In both soils contaminated by mine tailings the copper sorption capacity and the affinity of the substrate for the metal decreased substantially compared to the uncontaminated soils, however, the sorption remained always high in the clay soil substrates. In the substrates with sandy soil, the high Cu content and lower clay content were determining factors in the lower magnitude of the sorption. Similarly, metal desorption was closely related to these two parameters, and it was higher in clay soil with lower pH. In general, the application of sewage sludge favored the sorption of Cu in soils contaminated and uncontaminated with mine tailings, and in all cases desorption decreased, an effect that remained for at least 30 days. Simple extraction of Cu with CaCl2 and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid gave contradictory results, so a careful choice of the procedure is required, depending on the level of metal in the soil and on the acting principle of the extracting agent. In that relation, more complete information on the changes in the metal forms was obtained by application of the sequential extraction procedure proposed by the European Community Bureau of Reference.     

Arsenic and major cation hydrogeochemistry of the Central Victorian (Australia) surface waters

This paper reports on the major cations（Ca, Mg, Na and K） and arsenic（As） compositions of surface waters collected from major creeks, rivers and lakes in Central Victoria （Australia）. The surface waters were found to be neutral to alkaline （pH 6.7-9.4）, oxidised （average redox potential （Eh） about 130 mV） and showed variable concentrations of dissolved ions （EC, about 51-4386 /μS/cm）. The concen- trations of dissolved major cations in surface waters were found to be in the order of Na〉〉Mg〉Ca〉K and in soils the contents of metals followed an order of abundance as： Ca〉Mg〉〉K〉Na. While Na was the least abundant in soils, it registered the highest dissolved cation in surface waters. Of the four major cations, the average concentration ofNa（98.7 mg/L） was attributed to the weathering of feldspars and atmospheric input. Relatively highly dissolved concentrations of Na and Mg compared with the world average values of rivers reflected the weathering of rock and soil minerals within the catchments. The As soil level is naturally high（linked to lithology） as reflected by high background soil values and mining operations are also considered to be a contributory factor. Under relatively alkaline-oxidative conditions low mobility of dissolved As （average about 7.9 μg/L） was observed in most of the surface waters with a few higher values（〉15 μg/L） around a sewage disposal site and mine railings. Arsenic in soils is slowly released into water under alkaline and/or lower Eh conditions. The efficient sink of Fe, AI and Mn oxides acts as a barrier against the As release under near neutral-oxidising conditions. High As content （average about 28.3 mg/kg） in soils was found to be associated with Fe-hydroxides as revealed by XRD and SEM analysis. The dissolved As concentration was found to be below the recommended maximum levels for recreational water in all surface waters（lakes and rivers） in the study area. Catchment lithology exerted the fundamental control on surface water chemistry. Sites impacted by mining waste dumps showed a decline in water quality.     

Estimation of the accumulation rates and health risks of heavy metals in residential soils of three metropolitan cities in China

Heavy metal concentrations in urban soils are likely to increase over time because of continuous urbanization and heavy metal emissions. To estimate the accumulation rates of heavy metals in urban soils, we collected soil samples from residential areas with different building ages in the metropolitan cities of Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Beijing, China. Heavy metal concentrations in the soils varied among the cities and were primarily affected by soil parent material and the intensity of anthropogenic sources. Regression analyses revealed that the accumulation rates of Cd and Cu in the soils ranged from 0.0034 to 0.0039 mg/(kg•year) and 0.343 to 0.391 mg/(kg•year), respectively, and were similar across the three cities, while accumulation rates of Zn and Pb in Shanghai were higher than those in Shenzhen and Beijing. The higher accumulation rates of Zn and Pb in Shanghai can be explained by differences in city history and industrial structures among the cities. Residential soils with high health risks posed by the heavy metals were mostly collected from old towns of Shanghai because of high Pb content in the areas. Although recent urbanization resulted in elevated concentrations of Cd, Cu, Zn, and Pb in the residential soils, the effect on the total health risks of residents exposed to the soils was negligible.     

Simulating study on the effect of acid precipitation on forest soil weathering

The effect of acid rain on the forest soils in China was discussed on the basis of simulating studies. The soils were collected from five typical areas, including Chongqing in Sichuan Province and Guiyang in Guizhou Province, where there has been heavier acid rain in southwest China, and Huitong in Hunan Province, Zhouzhi in Shaanxi Province, and Xinglong in Hebei Province, all of which were selected as control. Field investigation and sampling were made in the typical forests in all the above five areas. The relationship between pH values in precipitation and rates of soil weathering, the difference between the rates of soil weathering in different areas, and the cause of such a difference, have been worked out. The prediction was also conducted on the supply dynamics of nutrient and toxic elements in various forest ecosystems which were affected by acid deposition in order to understand the long-term effects of acid precipitation on the forest ecosystems studied.     

Role of interaction between selenium and organic matters on causes of Kaschin-Beck disease

Influences of organic matters of soil and water on speciation and biological utilization of selenium are discussed. Humic acid is found to be the main pool of selenium in soil and affects the bio-availability of the element in soil-plant system. Fulvic acid from drinking water inhibits the absorption of selenium taken from diet. The relationship between high content of organic matters of water and selenium deficiency on the causes of KBD could be reflected in the limited synthesis of glutathione peroxidase, which is generally stimulated by fulvic acid from drinking water.     

Single and joint effects of pesticides and mercury on soil urease

The influence of two pesticides including chlorimuron-ethyl and furadan and mercury （Hg） on urease activity in 4 soils （meadow burozem and phaeozem） was investigated. The soils were exposed to various concentrations of the two pesticides and Hg individually and simultaneously. Results showed that there was a close relationship between urease activity and organic matter content in soil. Chlorimuron-ethyl and furadan could both activate urease in the 4 soils. The maximum increment of urease activity by chlorimuronethyl was up to 14%-18%. There was almost an equal increase （up to 13%-21%） in the urease activity by furadan. On the contrary, Hg markedly inhibited soil urease activity. A logarithmic equation was used to describe the relationship （P〈0.05） between the concentration of Hg and the activity of soil urease in the 4 tested soils. Semi-effect dose （ED50） values by the stress of Hg based on the inhibition of soil urease in the 4 soils were 88, 5.5, 24 and 20 mg/kg, respectively, according to the calculation of the corresponding equations. The interactive effect of chlorimuron-ethyl or furadan with metal Hg on soil urease was mainly synergic at the highest tested concentrations.     

Influence of Indian mustard （Brassicajuncea） on rhizosphere soil solution chemistry in long-term contaminated soils： A rhizobox study

This study investigated the influence of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) root exudation on soil solution properties (pH, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), metal solubility) in the rhizosphere using a rhizobox. Measurement was conducted following the cultivation of Indian mustard in the rhizobox filled four di erent types of heavy metal contaminated soils (two alkaline soils and two acidic soils). The growth of Indian mustard resulted in a significant increase (by 0.6 pH units) in rhizosphere soil solution pH of acidic soils and only a slight increase (< 0.1 pH units) in alkaline soils. Furthermore, the DOC concentration increased by 17–156 mg/L in the rhizosphere regardless of soil type and the extent of contamination, demonstrating the exudation of DOC from root. Ion chromatographic determination showed a marked increase in the total dissolved organic acids (OAs) in rhizosphere. While root exudates were observed in all soils, the amount of DOC and OAs in soil solution varied considerably amongst di erent soils, resulting in significant changes to soil solution metals in the rhizosphere. For example, the soil solution Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn concentrations increased in the rhizosphere of alkaline soils compared to bulk soil following plant cultivation. In contrast, the soluble concentrations of Cd, Pb, and Zn in acidic soils decreased in rhizosphere soil when compared to bulk soils. Besides the influence of pH and DOC on metal solubility, the increase of heavy metal concentration having high stability constant such as Cu and Pb resulted in a release of Cd and Zn from solid phase to liquid phase.     

Adsorption and desorption of Cu(Ⅱ) and Pb(Ⅱ) in paddy soils cultivated for various years in the subtropical China

The adsorption and desorption of Cu(Ⅱ) and Pb(Ⅱ) on upland red soil,and paddy soils which were originated from the upland soil and cultivated for 8,15,35 and 85 years,were investigated using the batch method.The study showed that the organic matter content and cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the soils are important factors controlling the adsorption and desorption of Cu(Ⅱ) and Pb(Ⅱ).The 15-Year paddy soil had the highest adsorption capacity for Pb(Ⅱ),followed by the 35-Year paddy soil.Both the 35-Year paddy soil and 15-Year paddy soil adsorbed more Cu(Ⅱ) than the upland soil and other paddy soils.The 15-Year paddy soils exhibited the highest desorption percentage for both Cu(Ⅱ) and Pb(Ⅱ).These results are consistent with the trend for the CEC of the soils tested.The high soil CEC contributes not only to the adsorption of Cu(Ⅱ) and Pb(Ⅱ) but also to the electrostatic adsorption of the two heavy metals by the soils.Lower desorption percentages for Cu(Ⅱ) (36.7% to 42.2%) and Pb(Ⅱ) (50.4% to 57.9%) were observed for the 85-Year paddy soil.The highest content of organic matter in the soil was responsible for the low desorption percentages for the two metals because the formation of the complexes between the organic matter and the metals could increase the stability of the heavy metals in the soils.     

Study on the toxicity of acid rain to microbiota in soils

With simulated acid rain and acidification, the soils from both Nanning and Liuzhou municipalities, Guangxi Zhuang Nationality Autonomous Region have been studied to determine the counts of azotobacter, bacteria, actinomyces and the activity of urease in soils, and the changes in respiratory intensity of soil so as to identify the toxicity of acidic substances to microbiota and enzyme in such soils. The concept of the critical pH of toxicity has been developed and used to discuss the representation of the concept, the basis on which the soil treated with simulated acid rain can be taken as an object of study, and the criteria for the identification of toxicity. Based on that as mentioned above, it was found that acid rain behaved to have toxicity to the microbiota in soils from Liuzhou other than from Nanning. The findings may be regarded as an objective basis to study the toxicity of acidic substances to microbiota and enzyme in soils in this region.     

The model test of leaching behaviour of trifluralin, lindane and aldicarb through the plough layer in three types of soil

A study on the leaching behaviour of trifluralin, lindane and aldicarb in three different types of soil was performed using soil column method. Leaching of trifluralin was not much influenced by soil types. Organic matter content showed an apparent influence on the leaching of lindane and aldicarb. Leaching depth of the pesticide was found to be negatively related to the organic matter content of the soil under study. It was also found that hydrophobic property of the pesticide increased the tendency of adsorption of the chemical to soil particles and hence reduced its leaching tendency. Thus, the leaching depths of the three pesticides in each of the three soils were observed in the order: aldicarb >lindane> trifluralin. Leaching behaviour of the three pesticides was also predicted based on the adsorption coefficients of the chemicals. For trifluralin and lindane, the predicted results were considerably in line with the results of the experiment.     

Imazaquin degradation and metabolism in a sandy loam soil amended with farm litters

Irnazaquin applied in legume crops has a long residual time in soil, which often impacts safety of the susceptible crops. To increase safety of imazaquin application, two composted litters, bovine manure （BM） and chicken manure （CM）, were used to determine their effects on imazaquin environmental behavior by incorporating each kind of manure into the tested sandy loam soil at 10% （w/w）. The degradation of imazaquin in BM- and CM-amended soil was about 2.4 and 1.5 times, respectively, faster than that in unamended soil. The half-lives of imazaquin in BM-amended soil varied between 6.7 and 15.4 d over the temperature range of 20 to 40℃, and the degradation rate constant （k） increased by a factor of about 1.5 for every 10℃ change. Higher mix ratio did not significantly increase the degradation, and the optimal active degradation of imazaquin was observed approximately at the mix ratio of 10：1 of soil to BM. The different moisture levels had negligible effect on imazaquin degradation. In both unamended and BM-amended treatments, two metabolites were observed at 5, 10 and 30 d after treatment. One metabolite at retention time （RT） of 8.4 rain was identified as 2-（4- hydroxyl-5-oxo-2-imidazolin-2-yl） quinoline acid, originating from the loss of isopropyl group and hydroxylation at the 4-position of imidazolinone ring. The other at RT of 12.9 rain was identified as quinoline-2,3-dicarboxylic anhydride, resulting from detachment of imidazolinone ring and the forming of dicarboxylic anhydride. This finding suggested that the addition of farm litters into soil might be a good management option since it can not only increase soil fertility but also contribute to increase safety of imazaquin application to the following susceptible crops.     

Relationships between humic substance-bound mercury contents and soil properties in subtropical zone

The bioavailability of humic substance-bound mercury （HS-Hg） has been established, while the distribution of HS-Hg in soils in relation to soil properties remains obscure. Path analysis and principal component analysis were employed in present study to investigate how soil factors influence the contents of HS-Hg in soils. Results showed that HS-Hg ranged from 0.0192 to 0.2051 mg/kg in soils. The two fractions existed in soils as humic acid-bound mercury （HA-Hg） 〉 fulvic acid-bound mercury （FA-Hg） and the ratio of HA-Hg/FA-Hg was 1.61 on the average. Soil organic carbon （OC） and HS favorably determined soil HS-Hg and the two fractions. The mercury source forming HS-Hg derived from soil total mercury and HS-Hg. FA-Hg and HA-Hg served as mercury source for each other. In acidic soils, FA-Hg and HA-Hg consistently rose with the increase of OC, and generally HA-Hg increased more dramatically. Soils with lower pH and lighter texture contained more HS-Hg, particularly fraction of FA-Hg. Among all influencing factors, organic material source showed the strongest effect, followed by other soil properties and soil mercury source.     

Element background levels in soils of Liaohe River Plain

Soil background contents of a number of elements of different soil groups, sub-groups and genus on Liaohe River Plain were investigated. It appeared that: the background levels for most elements studied were around the lower limits of the world's averages, variation coefficients of the background content values were from 0.3-0.5 and the element migration coefficients were between 0.9 and 1.0. It was found that the element background contents in soils of eastern and southern parts of the area were generally higher than that of western and northern parts.     

The effect of low-molecular-weight organic-acids (LMWOAs) on treatment of chromium-contaminated soils by compost-phytoremediation: Kinetics of the chromium release and fractionation

A soil–plant biological system was developed from chromium(Cr) polluted soil treated by the compost-phytoremediation method. The transformation and migration of the Cr in this system is comprehensively studied in this research. The results illustrated that the co-composting treatment can reduce the Cr availability from 39%(F1 was about 31% of total, F2 was about 8% of total) to less than 2% by stabilizing the Cr. However, herbaceous plants can accumulate the concentrations of Cr from 113.8 to 265.2 mg/kg in the two crops,even though the concentration of soluble Cr in the substrate soil was below 0.1 mg/L.Cr can be assimilated and easily transferred in the tissues of plants because the lowmolecular-weight organic-acids(LMWOAs) derived from the plant root increase the bioavailability of Cr. The amount of extracted Cr dramatically increased when the organic acids were substituted in this order: citric acid malic acid tartaric acid oxalic acid acetic acid. On average the maximum(147.4 mg/kg) and the minimum(78.75 mg/kg) Cr were extracted by 20 mmol/L citric acid and acetic acid, respectively. The desorption of Cr in different acid solutions can be predicted by the pseudo second-order kinetics. The exchangeable Cr, carbonate-bound Cr, and residual Cr decreased, while Fe–Mn oxide bound Cr and organic bound Cr increased in the soil solid phase. According to the experimental results, the organic acids will promote the desorption and chelation processes of Cr, leading to the remobilization of Cr in the soil.     

Effects of several amendments on rice growth and uptake of copper and cadmium from a contaminated soil

Heavy metals in variable charge soil are highly bioavailable and easy to transfer into plants. Since it is impossible to completely eliminate rice planting on contaminated soils, some remediation and mitigation techniques are necessary to reduce metal bioavailability and uptake by rice. This pot experiment investigated the e ects of seven amendments on the growth of rice and uptake of heavy metals from a paddy soil that was contaminated by copper and cadmium. The best results were from the application of limestone that increased grain yield by 12.5–16.5 fold, and decreased Cu and Cd concentrations in grain by 23.0%–50.4%. Application of calcium magnesium phosphate, calcium silicate, pig manure, and peat also increased the grain yield by 0.3–15.3 fold, and e ectively decreased the Cu and Cd concentrations in grain. Cd concentration in grain was slightly reduced in the treatments of Chinese milk vetch and zinc sulfate. Concentrations of Cu and Cd in grain and straw were dependent on the available Cu and Cd in the soils, and soil available Cu and Cd were significantly a ected by the soil pH.     

Micronutrient dynamics in some wetland soils of south-eastern Nigeria

The inventory of profile distribution of total iron(Fe),zinc(Zn), manganese(Mn) and copper(Cu) were determined in three different soil horizons each of the wetland soils selected form Mbiabet(MB),Nkari(NK)and Nkana(NA) in Ini Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State.Total Fe ranged between 3.25 and 4.15ppm.The average contents were 3.72,3.91 and 3.62ppm in Mbiabet(MB),Nkari(NK) and Nkana(NA)soils respectively.The total value of Zn also ranged between 2.4 and 4.9 ppm with the average content in each soil being 28.27,17.73and 36.53 ppm respectively.The amount of Fe and Zn in these soil profiles were strongly correlated with the clay content and high levels of organic matter of 3.70%,2.47%and 2.5% respectively.The content clearly reflected a poor drainage conditions.In all the soil profiles Mn and Cu were detected in at least one of the soil horizons.However, Mn and Cu were not detected in the soil horizons at Nkari.Generally , the relative inventory of these micronutrients appeared to be influenced by pH,drainage pattern,organic matter and clay contents of these soils.The inventory of total values of the wetland soils considered are assessed in the light of establishing a baseline information.     

Sustainability： A view from the wind-eroded field

This article explores the assessment of sustainability in fields subject to wind erosion. In the first part, simple sustainability audits are examined, as of soil depth and nutrients. Direct measurement of these characteristics has many problems, largely because of huge variability in space and time at all scales. Modelling still has its problems, but it may be possible to overcome many of them soon. It is true that wind erosion preferentially removes soil nutrients, but there are imponderables even here. The nutrient balance in many of these soils includes considerable input from dust. In West Africa, it has been shown that the amounts of calcium and potassium that are added in dust are sufficient to fertilize dispersed crops. In mildly acidic sandy soils, such as those found on the widespread palaeo- aeolian deposits, much of the phosphorus is fixed and unavailable to plants by the time it is removed by wind erosion, so that erosion has no added downside. Most of the nutrients carried by dust have been shown to travel close to the ground （even when they are attached to dust-sized particles）, and so are trapped in nearby fallow strips, and are thus not lost to the farming system. Second, the sustalnabillty of a whole semi-arid farming system is explored. Wind erosion in semi-arid areas （like China, the Sahel and Norflawestern Europe） generally takes place on aeolian deposits of the recent geological past. Most of these soils are deep enough to withstand centuries of wind erosion before they are totally lost to production, and some of these soils have greater fertility at greater depth （so that wind erosion may even improve the soil）. Finally some remarks are made about environmental change in relation to sustainability.