MULTI—ELEMENT DETERMINATION OF SOIL SOLUTION BY INAA

One factor of influencing crop growth is the effective elemental contents, especially trace elements, under the circumstances of the same concentrations of N, P and K in soil. In order to obtain the data of effective elemental contents in soil, a novel method was introduced. In this method, soil solution was extracted by a squeezer. The concentrations of elements in soil solution were determined by INAA. Study on the compositions and the contents of elements in soil solution will provide information on making a suitable soil environment for plant growth and for rational and economical manure.

Solid-solution partitioning of arsenic(As) in the paddy soil profiles in Chengdu Plain,Southwest China

To predict the long-term behavior of arsenic （As） in soil profiles, the solid-solution partitioning of As was studied in four paddy soil profiles obtained from agricultural areas in Chengdu Plain, Southwest China. Paddy soil profile samples were collected and soil solution samples were extracted. Total As contents in soil solution and soil solid were analyzed, along with the soil solid phase properties. The As in soil solu- tion was significantly higher in the upper layer （0--20 cm） and had a definite tendency to decrease towards 40 cm regardless of the sampling locations. When the concentration of arsenic in soil solution decreased, its content in solid phase increased. Field-based partition coefficient （Kd） for As was determined by calculating the ratio of the amount of As in the soil solid phase to the As concentration in the soil solution. Kj values varied widely in vertical samples and correlated well with soil pH, total organic carbon （TOC） and total As. The results of this study would be useful for evaluating the accumulation trends of hrsenic in soil profiles and in improving the management of the agricultural soils.

Release and sedimentation behaviors of biochar colloids in soil solutions

The release of biochar colloids considerably affects the stability of biochar in environment.Currently,information on the release behavior and suspension stability of biochar colloids in real soil solutions is scarce.In this study,20 soils were collected from different districts in China and the release behavior of biochar colloids and their suspension stability in soil solutions were systematically examined.The results showed that both pyrolysis temperature and biomass source had important effects on the formation of biochar colloids in soil solutions.The formation amount of biochar colloids from low pyrolysis temperatures(400℃)(average amount of 9.33-16.41 mg/g)were significantly higher than those from high pyrolysis temperatures(700℃)(average amount of less than 2 mg/g).The formation amount of wheat straw-derived biochar colloids were higher than those of rice straw-derived biochar colloids probably due to the higher O/C ratio in wheat-straw biochar.Further,biochar colloidal formation amount was negatively correlated with comprehensive effect of dissolved organic carbon,Fe and Al in soil solutions.The sedimentation curve of biochar colloids in soil solutions is well described by an exponential model and demonstrated high suspension stability.Around 40%of the biochar colloids were maintained in the suspension at the final sedimentation equilibrium.The settling efficiency of biochar colloids was positively correlated with comprehensive effect of the ionic strength and K,Ca,Na,and Mg contents in soil solutions.Our findings help promote a deeper understanding of biochar loss and stability in the soil-water environment.

Dynamics of soil inorganic nitrogen and their responses to nitrogen additions in three subtropical forests, south China

Three forests with different historical land-use, forest age, and species assemblages in subtropical China were selected to evaluate current soil N status and investigate the responses of soil inorganic N dynamics to monthly ammonium nitrate additions. Results showed that the mature monsoon evergreen broadleaved forest that has been protected for more than 400 years exhibited an advanced soil N status than the pine （Pinus massoniana） and pine-broadleaf mixed forests, both originated from the 1930＇s clear-cut and pine plantation. Mature forests had greater extractable inorganic N pool, lower N retention capacity, higher inorganic N leaching, and higher soil C/N ratios. Mineral soil extractable NH4^＋-N and NO3-N concentrations were significantly increased by experimental N additions on several sampling dates, but repeated ANOVA showed that the effect was not significant over the whole year except NH4^＋-N in the mature forest. In contrast, inorganic N （both NH4^＋-N and NO3^--N） in soil 20-cm below the surface was significantly elevated by the N additions. From 42% to 74% of N added was retained by the upper 20 cm soils in the pine and mixed forests, while 0%-70% was retained in the mature forest. Our results suggest that land-use history, forest age and species composition were likely to be some of the important factors that determine differing forest N retention responses to elevated N deposition in the study region.

Free cupric ions in contaminated agricultural soils around a copper mine in eastern Nanjing City, China

To determine the environmental free metal ion activity was a recent hot issue. A method to measure low-level free cupric ion activity in soil solution extracted with 0.01 mol/L KNO3 was developed by using cupric ion-selective electrode （ISE） and calibrating with Cu-buffer solution. Three copper buffers including iminodiacetic acid （IDA）, ethylenediamine （EN）, and glycine （Gly） were compared for calibrating the Cu-ISE curves in the range of free cupric ions （pCu^2＋） 7-13. The Cu-EN buffer showed the best electrode response and thus was applied as the calibration buffer. The pCu^2＋ of 39 contaminated agricultural soils around a copper mine was measured, ranging from 5.03 to 9.20. Most Cu in the soil solutions was found to be complexed with dissolved soil organic matters, averaging 98.1%. The proportion of free Cu^2＋ ions in the soil solutions decreased with the increasing of solution pH. Soluble Cu and free Cu^2＋ ions concentrations were analyzed by multiple linear regressions to evaluate the effects of soil properties on metal levels and speciation. The results showed that soil solution pH was the most significant factor influencing pCu^2＋ （with R^2 value of 0.76）, while not important for the soluble Cu concentration.

Evaluation of Cadmium Bioavailability in Soils Using Diffusive Gradients in Thin Film Technique and Traditional Methods

The developed technique of diffusive gradients in thin film( DGT) has been suggested as a promising tool for evaluation of cadmium( Cd) availability in soils,but there exists considerable debate on its suitability. In this study,Cd bioavailability in soils was systemically investigated by comparing this technique with seven traditional methods, including soil solution concentration and six commonly used extraction methods( HAc,EDTA,Na c,NH4Ac,CaCl2 and MgCl2). Two typical plants( wheat and maize) were examined for Cd uptake. Maize was more sensitive to increasing exposure to Cd in soils than wheat when the added amounts of Cd ranged from 3. 5 to 5. 0 mg · kg-1,accompanied by the significant decreases of shoot and root biomasses. Cd concentrations in shoots and roots of two plants increased continuously with increasing levels of Cd in soils. Cd uptake was higher in wheat than that in maize. The bioavailable concentrations of Cd measured by all methods increased nearly linearly with increasing addition of Cd in soils. Positive correlations were observed between various bioavailable indicators of Cd in soils and Cd concentrations in two plants. The extractable Cd by six chemical extractants was considerably higher for maize than for wheat,while the DGT-measured and soil solution concentrations of Cd were lower for maize than for wheat,following the same trend as plant Cd uptake. The results imply that DGT measurement can effectively predict the bioavailable levels of Cd in soil solutions and that it is an ideal tool for prediction of Cd bioavailability in soils.

Effect of soil properties and sample preparation on extractable and soluble Pb and Cd fractions in soils

The effect of soil extraction procedures and/or sample pretreatment (drying, freezing of the soil sample) on the extractability of cadmium and lead was tested in a model experiment, with an employment of optical emission and atomic ab- sorption spectrometry methods. In the first part, 6 extraction procedures were compared: 2 mol l-1 HNO3, 0.43 mol l-1 CH3COOH, 0.05 mol l-1 EDTA, Mehlich III extraction procedure (0.2 mol l-1 CH3COOH + 0.25 mol l-1 NH4NO3 + 0.013 mol.l-1 HNO3 + 0.015 mol.l-1 NH4F + 0.001 mol.l-1 EDTA), 0.01 mol.l-1 CaCl2, and deionised water. Addi-tionally, two methods of soil solution sampling were compared, and the centrifugation of satu-rated soil and the use of suction cups and dif-ferential pulse anodic stripping voltametry was applied to assess free and complexed metals portions. The results showed that different soil sample extraction methods and/or sample pre-treatments including soil solution sampling can lead to different absolute values of mobile cadmium and lead content in soils. However, the interpretation of the data can lead to similar conclusions as are apparent from the compari- son of the soil solution sampling methods where fairly good correlation was observed (for Cd r = 0.76, and for Pb r = 0.74). The ambiguous results were reported for voltammetric determinations of free and complex portions of Cd and Pb where a different behavior was observed for water extracts of soil and soil solution obtained using suction cups. Moreover, a changing extent of lead complexation was determined with prolonged storage of the samples. The results confirmed that soil and/or soil solution sampling under immediate soil conditions and limitations of pre-extraction operations are necessary.

Impacts of Rainfall Intensity on Soil Solute Loss in a Small Basin

[Objective] The study aimed to analyze the impacts of rainfall intensity on soil solute loss. [ Method] Hydrus-1D model was used to sim- ulate surface runoff process and soil solute loss process under different rainfall intensities in Meilin basin, Yixing City, and its reliability was verified. Afterwards, the model was used to simulate the movement of total nitrogen （TN） in the soil under various rainfall intensities. [Result] Hydrus-1D model had a good effect in the simulation of soil moisture and TN content in surface soil. During the rainfall, TN loss from surface soil （0 -20 cm） accounted for above 95% of total loss from the whole soil （0 -100 cm）. In addition, TN loss increased with the enhancement of rainfall intensities. However, TN loss tended to be stable when rainfall intensity exceeded 0.030 0 cm/min. [Conclusion] The research could provide theoretical refer- ences for the control of agricultural nonpoint source pollution in future.

Determining the influence of the physicochemical parameters of urban soils on As availability using chemometric methods：A preliminary study

An initial exploration was conducted using mathematical and statistical methods to obtain relevant information about the determination of the physicochemical parameters capable of controlling As uptake by ryegrass grown on contaminated topsoils.Concentrations of As in the soils were from 10 to 47 mg/kg,mainly in the As（V） form（57%–73%）.Concentrations of As in water extracts were very low（61–700 μg/kg）.It was suggested that As（Ⅲ） was mainly in the uncharged species and As（V） in the charged species.Chemometric methods revealed that the values of the ratio As（Ⅲ）/As（V） depended on the assimilated-phosphorus,the pseudo-total and water-extractable Fe contents and the soil p H.Arsenic concentrations measured in ryegrass shoots ranged from 119 to 1602 μg/kg.Positive linear correlations were obtained between As in ryegrass shoots and water extractable-As.The transfer coefficient of As correlated well with the ratio assimilated-phosphorus/Fe-oxides.As（Ⅲ）uptake by the shoot of ryegrass was controlled by the organic matter and Fe-oxide contents.