Arsenic fractionation and speciation in different textured soils supplied with farmyard manure and accumulation by sunflower under alkaline calcareous conditions

Muhammad Awais Piracha; Muhammad Ashraf; Sher Muhammad Shahzad; Sajid Masood; Naeem Akhtar; Rizwana Kausar; Awais Shakoor

doi:10.1007/s11356-023-29659-3

Arsenic fractionation and speciation in different textured soils supplied with farmyard manure and accumulation by sunflower under alkaline calcareous conditions

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2023 Oct;30(46):103141-103152. doi: 10.1007/s11356-023-29659-3. Epub 2023 Sep 8.

Authors

Muhammad Awais Piracha¹, Muhammad Ashraf², Sher Muhammad Shahzad², Sajid Masood³, Naeem Akhtar⁴, Rizwana Kausar⁵, Awais Shakoor⁶

Affiliations

¹ Soil and Water Testing Laboratory for Research, Dera Ghazi Khan, Pakistan.
² Department of Soil & Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan.
³ Department of Soil Science, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan, Pakistan.
⁴ Department of Plant Breeding and Genetics, College of Agriculture, University of Sargodha, Sargodha, Pakistan.
⁵ Soil and Water Testing Laboratory for Research, Sargodha, Punjab, Pakistan.
⁶ Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, 2751, Australia. a.shakoor@westernsydney.edu.au.

PMID: 37682438
DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-29659-3

Abstract

Arsenic (As) is a naturally occurring element that is found in soil, water, and rocks. However, it can also be released into the environment through human activities. Arsenic is considered an environmental hazard because it is toxic to humans and animals and can cause serious health problems. Additionally, As-contaminated soil can limit plant growth and reduce crop yields, leading to economic losses for farmers. So, decreasing metal/metalloid solubility in soil by synthetic and organic amendments leads to better crop productivity on contaminated soils. The current study aimed to evaluate farmyard manure (FYM)-mediated changes in soil arsenic (As) behavior, and subsequent effects on achene yield of sunflower. Treatment plan comprised of two As levels, i.e., As-60 (60 mg kg^-1) and As-120 (120 mg kg^-1), four FYM levels (0, 20, 35, and 50 g kg^-1), three textural types (sandy, loamy and clayey), and replicated thrice. Seven As fractions including water soluble-As (WS-As), labile-As (L-As), calcium-bound As (Ca-As), aluminum-bound As (Al-As), iron-bound As (Fe-As), organic-matter-bound As (OM-As), and residual-As (R-As) were determined which differed significantly (P ≤ 0.05) with FYM and soil texture. FYM supplementation decreased WS-As, L-As, Ca-As, and Al-As while increased Fe-As, OM-As, and R-As. The immobilizing effect of FYM increased with increasing its rate of application, and maximum effect was found in clayey soil. As speciation in soil also significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected by FYM and soil texture, with a reduction in arsenate while increase in arsenite, mono-methyl arsenate, and di-methyl arsenate with increasing the rate of FYM supplementation. Bioaccumulation factor reduced with FYM addition, and highest reduction of 38.65 and 42.13% in sandy, 34.24 and 36.26% in loamy while 29.16 and 35.10% in clayey soils at As-60 and As-120, respectively, by 50 g kg^-1 FYM compared with respective As treatments without FYM. As accumulation in plant parts was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) reduced by FYM with the subsequent improvement in achene yield.

Keywords: Achene yield; Arsenic; Bioaccumulation; Farmyard manure; Fractionation; Soil texture; Speciation; remediation.