Time series bioaccumulation of rare earth elements （REEs） in field-grown wheat with and without a dressing of extraneous REE fertilizer at different growth stages and fractionation of REEs during their transport in a soil-wheat system were determined. Time-dependent accumulation of extraneous REEs was found in different parts of wheat. An upward transport of extraneous REEs from roots to shoots under a soil dressing and a downward transport from leaves to roots with a foliar dressing were also observed. Moreover, fractionation of REEs occurred in the soil-wheat system. Compared to the host soil a positive Eu anomaly in the stems and grains as well as heavy REE enrichment in the grains were found. The ability of the different wheat organs to fractionate Eu from the REE series was ranked in the order of sterns 〉 grains 〉 leaves 〉 roots.
Studies were carried out on several aspects of rare earth elements （REEs）, such as the theory and practice of their applications in agriculture, their geochemical behaviors in natural and agricultural ecosystems, the mechanisms for the increase of crop yield using REE fertilizer, and their toxicology. However, limited knowledge was available for the transfer processes and the features and mechanisms of distribution and fractionations of REEs inside plants. The characteristics of REE fractionations in plants can be used to ＂trace＂ the pathway of REE transportation from soils （solution） to plants. A better understanding of the mechanisms of REE fractionations was helpful to investigate the controlling factors, including both the internal and the external ones. The characteristics and mechanisms of REE fractionations in plants and their significance were reviewed. Furthermore, the prospect for these fields was discussed, in hope of providing a new way in studying the bioavailability of REEs and heavy metals.
Rare earth elements （REEs） increasingly used in agriculture as an amendment for crop growth may help to lessen environmental losses of phosphorus （P） from heavily fertilized soils. The vertical transport characteristics of P and REEs, lanthanum （La）, neodymium （Nd）, samarium （Sin）, and cerium （Ce）, were investigated with addition of exogenous REEs at various doses to packed soil columns （20 cm deep）. Vertical transfers of REEs and P were relatively small, with transport depths less than 6 cm for most REEs and P. Export of applied REEs in leachate accounted for less that 5% of inputs. The addition of Ce, Nd and Sm to soil columns significantly decreased concentrations of extractable soil P up to a depth of 4 cm, with soil P concentrations unaffected at depths 〉 4 cm. In general, REEs had little effect on the vertical leaching of P in packed soil columns.
LIANG TaoSONG Wen-ChongWANG Ling-QingP. J. A. KLEINMANCAO Hong-Ying
Ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N) is one of the three main forms of total nitrogen (TN). Most studies have estimated the load of TN from nonpoint sources instead of one specific form. The relationship between land use and concentrations of NH4+-N in runoff was analyzed using the hydraulic analysis functions of a Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and the annual loads of NH4+-N in the Xitiao River catchment were estimated according to model results. The results suggested that the calculated annual loads of NH4+-N...
