Trace elements in agricultural soils and crops in Argentina

A. PÉREZ CARRERA; A. FERNÁNDEZ CIRELLI

Montevideo, Uruguay

Conferencia; 3rd Hemispheric Conference on Medical Geology; 2009

International Medical Geology Association

Trace element toxicities in livestock are caused by drinking water or foods with high contents of these elements. The transfer of trace elements from soils to the edible parts of plants is a key step in the route of entry into the human food chain. Trace element concentrations in forages are related to the availability in soils and the ability of a crop to take up and translocate them to the edible parts. The aim of this study was to determine trace element concentrations in soils and alfalfa (Medicago sativa) in dairy farms located in Córdoba province, Argentina. Trace elements were determined by ICP-OES. Determinations were performed in duplicate with a relative error < 1.0%. Arsenic levels in soil (2.1 to 8.2 mg/kg) were into the range of values reported in non contaminated areas. In alfalfa leaves, arsenic levels ranged between 0.1 to 1.5 mg/g. Levels of Cd, Cr, Cu and Zn in soils were in the range reported for agricultural soils in Canada or United Kingdom. In alfalfa, concentrations of Cd were below the detection limit of the method and Cu (8.2 to 15.2 mg/kg) was below the phytotoxicity level. Cobalt and Zinc concentrations were inside the normal range reported in literature. Pb levels were low, both in soils and alfalfa, due to the lack of industrial pollution in the study area. The concentrations of Mo were high in alfalfa leaves (3 to 11.2 mg/kg), this fact must be considered due to the risk of toxicity for livestock. Selenium levels were low in the studied soils (0.2 to 0.8 mg/kg) and thus, under the detection limit in forage. In Argentina, studies on trace elements concentrations in soil and forages are scarce, thus, the results of the present work are a contribution to establishing baseline levels.