Characteristics of selenium enrichment and assessment of selenium bioavailability using the diffusive gradients in thin-films technique in seleniferous soils in Enshi, Central China

Chenhao Lyu; Yongjie Qin; Zhuqing Zhao; Xinwei Liu

doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116507

Characteristics of selenium enrichment and assessment of selenium bioavailability using the diffusive gradients in thin-films technique in seleniferous soils in Enshi, Central China

Environ Pollut. 2021 Jan 15:273:116507. doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116507. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Chenhao Lyu¹, Yongjie Qin¹, Zhuqing Zhao¹, Xinwei Liu²

Affiliations

¹ College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China; Microelement Research Center, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China; Hubei Provincial Engineering Laboratory for New-Type Fertilizer, Wuhan, 430070, China.
² College of Resources and Environment, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China; Microelement Research Center, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, 430070, China; Hubei Provincial Engineering Laboratory for New-Type Fertilizer, Wuhan, 430070, China. Electronic address: lxw2016@mail.hzau.edu.cn.

PMID: 33493758
DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2021.116507

Abstract

Agricultural products from seleniferous areas commonly face problems associated with substantial variation in selenium (Se) concentration, which is mainly caused by the heterogeneity of Se bioavailability in soil. Many studies have assessed the bioavailability of Se and its influencing factors using soil samples treated with exogenous Se. Given the distinctly different characteristics of Se-spiked soils and naturally seleniferous soils, exploring Se bioavailability in naturally seleniferous soils is crucial to the stable production of Se-enriched agricultural products. In this study, we used the classical sequential extraction method to determine the Se fractionation and then applied the diffusive gradients in thin-films (DGT) technique to assess the Se bioavailability in naturally seleniferous soils. The results indicated that soluble and exchangeable Se fractions with high bioavailability accounted for only 0.7% and 5.1% of total Se, respectively. Both soluble and exchangeable Se concentrations were significantly positively correlated with soil pH (r = 0.329 and 0.262, respectively; P < 0.01). Se mainly exists in Fe-Mn oxide-bound, organic matter-bound, and residual Se fractions with low mobility (94.2% of total Se), among which organic matter-bound Se was the predominant fraction (49.5% of total Se). A significant positive correlation was found between total Se and soil organic matter (r = 0.539; P < 0.01). Multiple regression analysis revealed that the DGT-determined Se was mostly derived from soluble and exchangeable Se. The high correlation between the DGT-determined Se fraction and Se uptake by rice (r = 0.91; P < 0.01) confirmed that DGT can accurately assess Se bioavailability in naturally seleniferous soils in Enshi and other similar environmental settings.

Keywords: Diffusive gradients in thin-films; Selenium bioavailability; Selenium fractions; Sequential extraction; Soil pH.