Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
6317751 | Environmental Pollution | 2013 | 6 Pages |
Abstract
Archived samples from the Park Grass Experiment, established in 1856, were analysed to determine the impacts of long-term phosphate fertiliser applications on arsenic concentrations in soil and herbage. In plots receiving 35 kg P haâ1 annually (+P), topsoil As concentrations almost doubled from an initial value of â¼10 mg kgâ1 during 1888-1947 and remained stable thereafter. The phosphate fertilisers used before 1948 contained 401-1575 mg As kgâ1, compared to 1.6-20.3 mg As kgâ1 in the later samples. Herbage samples from the +P plots collected during 1888-1947 contained significantly more As than those from the âP plots, but later samples did not differ significantly. Mass-balance calculations show that the increase in soil As can be explained by the As input from P fertiliser applications before 1948. The results demonstrate that the P fertilisers used on the Park Grass Experiment before 1948 caused substantial As contamination of the soil.
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Authors
Tom N. Hartley, Andy J. Macdonald, Steve P. McGrath, Fang-Jie Zhao,