Phytoliths in particulate matter released by wind erosion on arable land in La Pampa, Argentina

ROGER FUNK; JACQUELINE BUSSE; NICOLE SIEGMUND; MICHAEL SOMMER; LAURA ANTONELA ITURRI; JUAN ESTEBAN PANEBIANCO; FERNANDO AVECILLA; DANIEL EDUARDO BUSCHIAZZO

Frontiers in environmental sciences

Frontiers media S.A.

Año: 2022

2296-665x

Measurements of particulate matter (PM) concentrations were carried out at a wind erosion measuring15 field in the province La Pampa, Argentina. PM were sampled at a windward and leeward position and16 in heights of 1 and 4 m on filters after counting and classifying all particles with diameters between17 0.3 to 32 μm. The sampled dust were analyzed by Scanning Electron Microscopy and Energy18 Dispersive X-Ray analysis (SEM-EDX) to characterize morphological and chemical properties of19 single and ensembles of particles.20 In addition to the expected mineral particles, there are up to 25 per cent of the particles of biological21 origin and up to 8.3 per cent are phytolithes. The comparison of the incoming and outgoing fluxes at22 the measuring field shows balanced quantities for the finer dust fractions and an increase at the leeward23 position for the coarser fractions, which can be considered as evidence of the emission of that particles.24 Particles of organic origin are mostly in the coarse dust fraction, whereas phytoliths are predominately25 transported in the finer dust fractions. The chemical composition of the dust is also very divers and26 reflects the composition of various sources (mineral, organic Since phytolites are both an important27 source of Si as a plant nutrient and are also involved in soil C fixation, their losses from cropland via28 dust emissions must be considered.