Search

Excessive Cd accumulation in rice grain has caused chronic Cd diseases in humans. In most crops, 100 times more Zn than Cd strongly inhibits Cd uptake and translocation. However, this response is not found for rice (Oryza sativa L.), which was found to have an unusual Cd uptake pattern compared with other crops, such as spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.). Moreover, studies on shared transporters between Zn and Cd using normal solution experiments with traditional high concentrations of metal ions may result in irrelevant interactions. Therefore, we developed ethyleneglycoltetraacetate-buffered nutrient solutions in this work. Rice and spinach seedlings were grown under calibrated low Cd

The distribution of trace elements (TEs) in water, sediment, riparian soil and dominant plants was investigated in the Fenghe River, Northwestern China. The Fenghe River ecosystem was polluted with Cd, Cr, Hg and Pb. There was a high pollution risk in the midstream and downstream regions and the risk level for Cd was much higher than that of the other elements. The average values of bioconcentration coefficient for Cd and Zn were 2.21 and 1.75, respectively, indicating a large accumulation of Cd and Zn in the studied species. With broad ecological amplitudes, Portulaca oleracea L., Artemisia argyi Levl. et Vant., Phragmites communis Trin., and Polygonum hydropiper L. had the greatest TE concentrations in aboveground and belowground biomass of the studied species and were potential biomonitors or phytoremediators for the study area. Multivariate techniques including cluster analysis, correlation analysis, principal component analysis, and canonical correspondence analysis were used to analyze the relations between TE concentrations in plants and various environmental factors. The soil element concentration is the main factor determining the accumulation of TEs in plants. The co-release behavior of common pollutants and TEs drove the accumulation of Hg, Cd, and As in the studied plants. Significant enrichment of some elements in the Fenghe River has led to a decline in the biodiversity of plants.

Very little has been reported on the effects of pH, Zn, and Mn on Cd uptake in rice ( L.) and their levels under field conditions. Rice accumulates a high concentration of Cd in acid soils, even at low soil Cd levels. Lime (CaO) was spread at 1200 kg ha on the topsoil of a rice field during the tillering stage. Effects of liming on rice Cd, soil pH, and amorphous Mn (MnO-AM) were then investigated. Slight increases in pH from 5.17 to 5.45 and MnO-AM from 66.3 to 82.1 mg kg were observed after liming. The proportion of rice samples with a Cd concentration greater than the Chinese rice Cd standard (0.2 mg kg dry wt. in grain) decreased by ∼15%. The pH, which varied from 4.8 to 5.8, did not significantly affect rice Cd, whereas soil Cd and Zn had a significantly positive effect, together accounting for ∼14% of the variance. Soil Mn had significantly negative effects on rice Cd, accounting for >18% of the variance. For a Cd concentration

Understanding water and N transport through the soil profile is important for efficient irrigation and nutrient management to minimize nitrate leaching to the groundwater, and to promote agricultural sustainable development in desert oases. In this study, a process-based water and nitrogen management model (WNMM) was used to simulate soil water movement, nitrate transport, and crop growth (maize [Zea mays L.]) under desert oasis conditions in northwestern China. The model was calibrated and validated with a field experiment. The model simulation results showed that about 35% of total water input and 58% of the total N input were leached to

Ketoprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), was commonly found in treated wastewater due to its incomplete removal during sewage treatment plant processes. As treated wastewater is increasingly used for landscape irrigation, it is imperative to understand the leaching potential for ketoprofen in receiving soils. In this study, adsorption and degradation experiments were conducted in four U.S. soils with different physicochemical characteristics. Ketoprofen was not strongly adsorbed to the four soils with K(d) values ranging from 1.26 to 8.24 L kg(-1), suggesting its potential to move downward with percolating water. The adsorption was positively related to the soil organic matter (OM) content (R(2) = 0.890). Degradation experiment showed that half-lives (t(1/2)) of ketoprofen were 4.58 d in Arlington sandy loam (ASL, coarse-loamy, mixed, active, thermic Haplic Durixeralfs), 8.04 d in Hanford loamy sand (HLS, coarse-loamy, mixed, superactive, nonacid, thermic Typic Xerorrhents), 15.37 d in Imperial silty clay (ISC, fine, semectitc, calcareous, hyperthermic Vertic Torrifluvents), and 27.61 d in Palouse silt loam (PSL) soil (fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Pachic Ultic Haploxerolls), respectively. Degradation of ketoprofen in soils appeared to be influenced by the soil OM content. The prolonged t(1/2) by sterilization indicated that microbial degradation was the dominant pathway for ketoprofen degradation in soils, while photodegradation only contributed a small portion to the ketoprofen degradation. The t(1/2) and K(oc) values were fitted to screening models to predict the leaching potential of ketoprofen in soils. It appeared that relatively high leaching potential of ketoprofen existed in ISC and PSL soils.

Studies have shown that physical and chemical properties of soils may be significantly changed when they are subjected to long-term reclaimed water irrigation. It remains unclear how reclaimed water application may affect nutrient cycling in soils. Soil enzymes are responsible for the biogeochemical cycling of many elements and are more sensitive indicators of the ecological changes. In this study, 17 soil enzymes, including those associated with the C, N, P, and S cycles and two oxidoreductases (catalase and dehydrogenase), were assayed in soils obtained from five long-term reclaimed wastewater irrigation sites in southern California. The soil enzyme activities varied widely among the sampling sites. Compared with their respective controls, the overall activities of enzymes involved in the cycling of the four elements in soil were enhanced by an average of 2.2- to 3.1-fold. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis indicated that the soil microbial functional diversity may be evaluated based on activities of catalase, alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, dehydrogenase, and urease.

Phosphate and micronutrient fertilizers contain potentially harmful trace elements, such as arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb). We investigated if application of these fertilizer increases the As, Cd, and Pb concentrations of the receiving soils. More than 1000 soil samples were collected in seven major vegetable production regions across California. Benchmark soils (no or low fertilizer input) sampled in 1967 and re-sampled in 2001 served as a baseline. Soils were analyzed for total concentrations of As, Cd, Pb, P, and Zn. The P and Zn concentrations of the soils were indicators of P fertilizer and micronutrient inputs, respectively. Results showed that the concentrations of these elements in the vegetable production fields in some production areas of California had been shifted upward. Principal component analysis and cluster analysis showed that the seven production areas could be sorted into three categories: (i) enrichment of As, Cd, and Pb, which was associated with the enrichment of P and Zn in one of the seven areas surveyed; (ii) enrichment of As, which was associated with enrichment of Zn in two of the seven areas surveyed; and (iii) no remarkable correlation between enrichment of As, Cd, and Pb and enrichment of P and Zn in the other four areas surveyed.