Effect of phosphorus competition on arsenic bioavailability in dry and flooded soils: comparative study using diffusive gradients in thin films and chemical extraction methods

Purpose

Phosphorus influence on arsenic bioavailability in soils and its toxicity to plants is widely recognized. This work compares competitive influence of P on As bioavailability in dry and flooded soils.

Materials and methods

Pot experiments were carried out in dry and flooded soils, respectively. Bioavailable As in soils was measured using diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT), soil solution concentration, and three single chemical extraction methods.

Results and discussion

P concentration at 50 mg/kg promoted wheat growth in dry soil. At concentrations above 50 mg/kg, P competition inhibited wheat growth and enhanced As toxicity. In flooded soil, the rice height and biomass decreased with the increase of P addition. P concentrations above 800 mg/kg were lethal to the rice. The content of As absorbed by wheat and rice roots as well as shoots increased with the increase of P concentration. The bioavailability of As in wheat- and rice-grown soils, determined by all methods, also increased with the increase of P concentration. The correlation analysis between the bioavailable As measured by the all three methods and the content of As in plants showed a significant positive correlation. The Pearson correlation coefficient for the DGT method was higher comparing to all other methods. DGT-induced fluxes in soils (DIFS) modeling further showed sharp decreases of T_c (the characteristic time to reach equilibrium between available solid As pool and soil solution As from DGT perturbation) and increases of desorption and adsorption rate constants (k₁ and k_?1) of As in P-amended soils, reflecting that the kinetic release of As from available solid As pools became much easy from P competition.

Conclusions

P competition in both dry and flooded soils could significantly increase bioavailability of As and further increase its toxicity. Competition effect was more pronounced in flooded soil. DGT is a more accurate method for As bioavailability evaluation in both dry and flooded soils.