ABSORPTION OF SELENIUM AND ARSENIC BY PLANTS FROM SOILS UNDER NATURAL CONDITIONS

Abstract

Soils and plants from 10 fenced plots on a seleniferous ranch in S. Dakota were analyzed for Se and for As. The Se content of the soils, ranging from 1.15 to 5 ppm., was in every case lower than the As content, which ranged from 7.1 to 18.4 ppm. No correlation in the Se and As contents of the soils was found. The As in the soils was much less available to the plants than was the Se. The range in Se content of the plants was from 0.0 to 266.7 ppm., and in the As content of the plants was from 1.2 to 4.3 ppm.