Short-term evaluation for estimating soil arsenic contamination using Pinus densiflora needles with phosphorus as a...

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Geochemistry
• Plant Biology

Background:

• Abandoned mines are significant sources of arsenic (As) contamination.
• Arsenic contamination poses risks through soil-plant-human exposure pathways.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate Pinus densiflora needles for estimating soil As contamination.
• To assess phosphorus (P) concentration in needles as a supplementary indicator for soil As.

Main Methods:

• Collected soil samples from mine-impacted areas with varying As concentrations and pH.
• Cultivated Pinus densiflora seedlings for six months.
• Analyzed As accumulation in 1- and 2-year-old needles and correlated with soil As fractions.

Main Results:

• Olsen-extractable As in soil showed the strongest correlation with needle As concentrations, especially in 2-year-old needles (r=0.872).
• A multiple regression model incorporating P in 2-year-old needles improved predictive power for soil As (R² from 0.761 to 0.828).

Conclusions:

• Pinus densiflora needles show potential for assessing soil As contamination.
• Phosphorus concentration in needles serves as a valuable supplementary indicator for soil As contamination.