New insight into iron biogeochemical cycling in soil-rice plant system using iron isotope fractionation

Iron (Fe) migration in soil-plants is a critical part of Fe biogeochemical cycling in the earth surface system. Fe isotope fractionation analysis in the soil-rice system is promising for quantitatively assessing various pathways and clarifying Fe transformation processes. However, the mechanisms of Fe isotope fractionation in the soil-rice system are not well understood. In this study, the Fe isotopic compositions (δ^(56)Fe) of rhizosphere soils, pore water, Fe plaque, and rice plant tissues at the jointing and mature stages of the plants were determined. The rice plants were slightly enriched in heavier δ^(56)Fe by 0.3‰ relative to the soil, and the stele and cortex showed similar δ^(56)Fe values, indicating that the uptake of Fe by rice plants predominantly occurred via Fe(III)-phytosiderophores (Fe(III)-PS) chelation, but not Fe(III) reduction. Additionally, at both the jointing and mature stages, the rice plant tissues showed similar δ^(56)Fe values. However, the Fe isotope fractionation between the roots and stems (Δ56Feroot−stem) was 1.39 ± 0.13‰, which is similar to the previously Ab initio-calculated values between Fe(III)-citrate and Fe(III)- 2-deoxymugineic acid (DMA), indicating that both the phloem and xylem have similar δ^(56)Fe values, and the major Fe-chelating substances in the phloem of the rice plants are Fe(III)-DMA and Fe(II)- Nicotianamine (NA). Therefore, this study demonstrates that Fe isotope fractionation can be used as a signature for interpreting the Fe uptake and translocation mechanism in the soil-rice system.