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Agronomy
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Development and Application of X-rays in Metal Analysis of Soil...
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Development and Application of X-rays in Metal Analysis of Soil and Plants

A special issue of Agronomy (ISSN 2073-4395). This special issue belongs to the section "Soil and Plant Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 14082

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Roberto Terzano

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Guest Editor
Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari, via Giovanni Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy
Interests: X-ray analyses; soil chemistry; analytical chemistry; environmental chemistry; agricultural chemistry; biogeochemistry of trace elements; soil-plant interactions
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Ignazio Allegretta

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences, University of Bari, via Giovanni Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy
Interests: x-ray fluorescence; x-ray diffraction; heavy metals; metalloids; environmental pollution; analytical chemistry; trace elements
Dr. Fabjola Bilo

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, University of Brescia, via Branze, 38, 25123 Brescia, Italy
Interests: total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF); sample preparation methods; multielemental analysis; environmental monitoring; method validation
Dr. Eva Marguí

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry, University of Girona, C/M.Aurlèia Capmany 69, 17003 Girona, Spain
Interests: X-ray fluorescence (XRF); total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF); speciation; preconcentration; multielemnetal analyis; metallic nanoparticles; metals; microextraction
Dr. Galina V. Pashkova

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of the Earth's Crust SB RAS, 664033 Irkutsk, Russia
Interests: X-ray fluorescence (XRF); Total-reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF); sample preparation; geological materials; environmental chemistry; archaeometry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Modern agriculture needs careful and fast determination of metal micro and macronutrients as well as trace and potentially toxic elements in soil and plants to define correct soil management strategies or to assess the quality and safety of productions. In recent years, X-ray-based techniques have evolved in a plethora of instrumentations, allowing different types of metal determinations within soils and plants. Such instrumentations span from simple portable devices that can be used in the field to high-performance dedicated synchrotron beamlines only accessible through high-level international projects. Today, available X-ray methods allow metal analysis from percent concentrations down to sub-ppb levels and from the bulk sample to the micro and nano scale, including metal speciation and 2D and 3D mapping, thus offering scientists and operators a wide array of possibilities to solve agriculture-related problems.

In this Special Issue, developments of new instrumentation or analytical methodologies for the analysis of metals in soil and plants will be considered, as well as well applications in agronomy and agroecology, including (but not limited to) soil heath and plant nutrition, metal pollution and remediation concerning the soil–plant system, and quality and safety of food crops.

Prof. Roberto Terzano
Dr. Ignazio Allegretta
Dr. Fabjola Bilo
Dr. Eva Marguí
Dr. Galina V. Pashkova
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agronomy is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • X-ray fluorescence
  • trace metals
  • heavy metals
  • soil pollution
  • plant nutrition
  • phytoremediation
  • biofortification
  • X-ray absorption
  • food quality
  • food safety

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Editorial

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3 pages, 213 KiB  
Editorial
Development and Application of X-rays in Metal Analysis of Soil and Plants
by Ignazio Allegretta, Fabjola Bilo, Eva Marguí, Galina V. Pashkova and Roberto Terzano
Agronomy 2023, 13(1), 114; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13010114 - 30 Dec 2022
Viewed by 1513
Abstract
Metals in soil and plants may have divalent roles as essential macro- and micronutrients or dangerous pollutants, depending on their nature and concentration [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Application of X-rays in Metal Analysis of Soil and Plants)

Research

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18 pages, 4910 KiB  
Article
Kinetics of Macro and Micronutrients during Germination of Habanero Pepper Seeds in Response to Imbibition
by Carlos D. Hernández-Pinto, Carlos J. Alvarado-López, René Garruña, Rubén H. Andueza-Noh, Emanuel Hernández-Núñez, Roberto Zamora-Bustillos, Horacio S. Ballina-Gómez, Esaú Ruiz-Sánchez, Blancka Y. Samaniego-Gámez, Samuel U. Samaniego-Gámez and Luis Latournerie-Moreno
Agronomy 2022, 12(9), 2117; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12092117 - 6 Sep 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1756
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentration and distribution of a number of macro- and micronutrients in response to imbibition in habanero pepper seeds extracted from fruits with different stages of maturity and postharvest storage times, as well as in [...] Read more.
The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentration and distribution of a number of macro- and micronutrients in response to imbibition in habanero pepper seeds extracted from fruits with different stages of maturity and postharvest storage times, as well as in their seedlings. Fruits were harvested unripe, half-ripe, and ripe, and were subjected to storage for 0 (control), 7, and 14 days postharvest prior to seed extraction. An X-ray microfluorescence analysis was carried out on seeds pre- and post-imbibition, as well as on seedlings at 10 and 14 days after sowing. K, Ca, Fe, P, Mg, and Mn were detected by elemental analysis. The results indicated that the elements had a higher concentration and distribution in seeds extracted from half-ripe fruits and ripe unstored fruits, as well as in seeds extracted from fruits stored for 7 and 14 days postharvest. K and Ca were the elements with the highest distributions and concentrations in seeds and seedlings pre- and post-imbibition compared to the other elements. At all maturity stages, postharvest storage increased the concentration and distribution of mineral nutrients in seeds and seedlings before and after imbibition. Storage translocated mineral elements to the radicle before germination, increased meristem growth in emerged seedlings, decreased electrical conductivity, and increased germination. Fourteen days of postharvest storage increased the distribution of macro- and micronutrients in immature seeds, decreasing electrical conductivity, potentiating germination, and improving mineral element distribution in seedlings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Application of X-rays in Metal Analysis of Soil and Plants)
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19 pages, 2662 KiB  
Article
Investigation of Soils and Pine Needles Using WDXRF and TXRF Techniques for Assessment of the Environmental Pollution of Shelekhov District, Eastern Siberia, by the Aluminum Industry and Heat Power Engineering
by Victor Chubarov, Tatiana Cherkashina, Artem Maltsev, Elena Chuparina, Alena Amosova and Sergey Prosekin
Agronomy 2022, 12(2), 454; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12020454 - 11 Feb 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1910
Abstract
X-ray fluorescence analysis was applied to assess the ecological state of the area potentially polluted by emissions of the aluminum industry and heat power engineering. Soil and pine needle samples were collected in areas with industrial activity and analyzed using wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence [...] Read more.
X-ray fluorescence analysis was applied to assess the ecological state of the area potentially polluted by emissions of the aluminum industry and heat power engineering. Soil and pine needle samples were collected in areas with industrial activity and analyzed using wavelength-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF) and total-reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF) techniques. Both techniques were validated using the matrix-matched certified reference materials. Different sample preparation procedures, such as fusion and pressing for WDXRF and acid digestion and suspensions for TXRF as well as quantification approaches (the external calibration for WDXRF and the internal standard for TXRF) were applied according to the features of the analyzed samples. The rock-forming oxides (Na2O, MgO, Al2O3, SiO2, P2O5, K2O, CaO, TiO2, MnO, and Fe2O3) and trace elements (V, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Y, Ba, and Pb) were quantified in soils, as well as several elements (Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Br, Rb, Sr, Pb, and Ba) were quantified in pine needles. Comparing the results of soils and pine needles analysis with the regional background values indicated a significant contamination pollution level of the studied area. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Application of X-rays in Metal Analysis of Soil and Plants)
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14 pages, 1662 KiB  
Article
Plants from Urban Parks as Valuable Cosmetic Ingredients: Green Extraction, Chemical Composition and Activity
by Marijan Marijan, Jasna Jablan, Lejsa Jakupović, Mario Jug, Eva Marguí, Rogerta Dalipi, Emanuele Sangiorgi and Marijana Zovko Končić
Agronomy 2022, 12(1), 204; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy12010204 - 15 Jan 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 2777
Abstract
The research on the possibilities of using biowaste from urban green areas is scarce. In this work, four plants, widely distributed in urban parks in Central Europe (Lotus corniculatus, Medicago lupulina, Knautia arvensis and Plantago major) were extracted using [...] Read more.
The research on the possibilities of using biowaste from urban green areas is scarce. In this work, four plants, widely distributed in urban parks in Central Europe (Lotus corniculatus, Medicago lupulina, Knautia arvensis and Plantago major) were extracted using eco-friendly solvents based either on aqueous cyclodextrin solutions (hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin or γ-cyclodextrin) or natural deep eutectic solvents based on glycerol, betaine and glucose. Metal content was determined using total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF). The content of selected metabolites was determined using UV-VIS spectrophotometric methods and HPLC. Skin-related bioactivity was assessed using tyrosinase and elastase inhibition assays. The selected plants contained metals beneficial for skin health, such as zinc and calcium, while having a low content of toxic heavy metals. The extracts contained the bioactive phenolics such as quercetin, kaempferol, luteolin and apigenin. L. corniculatus was the most potent tyrosinase inhibitor, while K. arvensis showed the most pronounced elastase inhibitory activity. The employed solvents actively contributed to the observed bioactivity. The results indicate that the biowaste obtained from urban parks represents an ecologically acceptable alternative to conventional cultivation for the preparation of ecologically acceptable, high-value cosmetic products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Application of X-rays in Metal Analysis of Soil and Plants)
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12 pages, 4062 KiB  
Article
Soil and Plant Nutrient Analysis with a Portable XRF Probe Using a Single Calibration
by João Antonangelo and Hailin Zhang
Agronomy 2021, 11(11), 2118; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11112118 - 22 Oct 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2385
Abstract
A portable X-ray fluorescence probe (pXRF) is a tool that is used to measure many elements quickly and efficiently in various samples, without any pretreatment. However, each type of sample generally requires different calibrations to be accurate. To overcome this, our work evaluated [...] Read more.
A portable X-ray fluorescence probe (pXRF) is a tool that is used to measure many elements quickly and efficiently in various samples, without any pretreatment. However, each type of sample generally requires different calibrations to be accurate. To overcome this, our work evaluated the efficacy of determining several elements in forage plant samples using the ‘Soil Nutrient and Metal’ calibration in a commercially available pXRF probe, envisioning that a single calibration can be used to measure samples of different matrixes. For this, the net intensity of the pXRF probe was determined in place of the concentration values that are obtained directly from measurements. Elemental concentrations (P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Cu, Fe, Zn, and Mn) from forage plant samples, collected across Oklahoma, US, were assessed in a representative number of ‘modeling’ and ‘validation’ (independent dataset) samples. Linear regression (LR) associated with the d-index, polynomial regression (PR), and power regression (PwR) were tested for predictions, producing many statistical parameters associated with the models that were used for comparison goals. The pXRF elemental data provided highly reliable predictions of K, S, Zn, and Mn regardless of the regression model. Although all models can be reliable in prediction of Ca and Fe concentrations, the PwR provided better root mean square error (RMSE) values. The predictions of Mg concentrations were less reliable, although highly significant; however, the P and Cu predictions were not acceptable. Our work successfully showed that, once established, a single calibration curve that covers a wide range of concentrations of several elements in soils and plant tissues enables both soil and plant samples to be analyzed. This suggests that manufacturers can develop a new calibration model for a commercially available pXRF probe that covers a wide variety of heterogeneous samples. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Application of X-rays in Metal Analysis of Soil and Plants)
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18 pages, 2936 KiB  
Article
Role of Gravitational Processes in the Migration of Heavy Metals in Soils of the Priolkhonye Mountain-Steppe Landscapes, Lake Baikal: Methodology of Research
by Vadim A. Pellinen, Tatiana Yu. Cherkashina, Natalia N. Ukhova and Anastasia V. Komarova
Agronomy 2021, 11(10), 2007; https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy11102007 - 3 Oct 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2123
Abstract
The study object of this work is the soils of the Priolkhonye mountain-steppe landscapes. This research is performed at the Priolkhonye test site. Annual monitoring for exogenous geological process activity is conducted there. This research aims to study the influence of gravitational geological [...] Read more.
The study object of this work is the soils of the Priolkhonye mountain-steppe landscapes. This research is performed at the Priolkhonye test site. Annual monitoring for exogenous geological process activity is conducted there. This research aims to study the influence of gravitational geological processes (landslides) on the migration of heavy metals, which are introduced into soil as a result of human agricultural activity. A methodology for the geoecological monitoring of soils based on an assessment of their contamination level by anthropogenic heavy metals, and a transfer mechanism throughout whole migration path (field–landslide–coast) is proposed. The following steps were taken to solve this problem: isolating a fine-grained fraction (<100 μm); determining the Hg, Cd, Pb, and Cu concentrations using wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence and atomic absorption spectroscopies, as well as total organic carbon (TOC) content using UV-Vis spectrophotometry; computing various geochemical indices; and describing the migration path of these heavy metals and TOC. The monitoring results showed that these pollutants migrate to the coastal zone as a result of landslides activation. The soil contamination level is increased which can cause negative toxic effects in coastal ecosystems, and could rise to a dangerous level for humans. Thus, the observed changes in the indices and TOC values allow us to assess the geoecological state of the study area; namely, the periods of landslide activity and the supply of these pollutants to the coastal zone. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Development and Application of X-rays in Metal Analysis of Soil and Plants)
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