This readme file was generated on 2025-06-25 by Robert C Hill ------------------- GENERAL INFORMATION ------------------- Title of Dataset: Data from: Long-term fertilization impacts on metal(loid) transfer from soil to wheat in a 120-year fertilization experiment – using 87Sr/86Sr isotopes as metal(loid) tracer Author Contact Information Co-Lead Author: Robert C. Hill Division of Earth and Climate Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University robert.hill@duke.edu ORCID: 0000-0002-5504-8621 Co-Lead Author: Aleksandra Pieńkowska Department of Applied Microbial Ecology, Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research UFZ Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen aleksandra.pienkowska@ufz.de ORCID: 0009-0003-2811-9409 Author: Ines Merbach, PhD Bad Lauchstädt Research Station, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ ines.merbach@ufz.de ORCID: 0000-0003-4482-5437 Author: Thomas Reitz, PhD Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences - Crop Research Unit, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg Department of Soil Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ thomas.reitz@ufz.de ORCID: 0000-0001-6581-6316 Co-Principal Investigator: E. Marie Muehe, PhD Department of Applied Microbial Ecology, Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research UFZ Department of Geosciences, University of Tübingen marie.muehe@ufz.de ORCID: 0000-0003-1456-6518 Co-Principal Investigator: Avner Vengosh Division of Earth and Climate Sciences, Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University vengosh@duke.edu ORCID: 0000-0001-8928-0157 Date of data collection: 2001-2021 Geographic location of data collection: Bad Lauchstädt, Germany Funding: NSF EAR-2305946 (Duke University) and Helmholtz Young Investigator Grant titled “RhizoThreats” -------------------- DATA & FILE OVERVIEW -------------------- Description of the research: Mineral and organic fertilizers are widely used to sustain food production but can also contribute toxic metal(loid)s to agricultural systems. However, their long-term impacts on metal(loid) accumulation in soil and crops remain insufficiently explored. This study uses a unique 120-year field experiment to demonstrate that organic (manure), mineral (NPK), and combined mineral+organic fertilization increased total soil concentrations of Zn, Cd, Pb, As, and U. For the first time, we use the 87Sr/86Sr isotopic fingerprint to trace metal(loid) transfer from fertilizer to soil into wheat grains. Metal(loid) concentrations in wheat grains were primarily governed by fertilization-induced changes in soil geochemistry affecting their mobility in soil. For example, mineral fertilization lowered soil pH, mobilizing cationic Cd and increasing its accumulation in wheat grains by 70%. Organic fertilization raised soil pH and organic matter, reducing Cd concentrations in wheat grain to below unfertilized ones. The 87Sr/86Sr in wheat grains matched that of triple superphosphate, which is one of the fertilizers used in mineral fertilization, indicating that wheat Sr and co-occurring Cd were primarily derived from the phosphate fertilizer. In contrast, the behavior of the oxyanion As was distinct, with concentrations in grain increasing by 70% under mineral+organic compared to mineral fertilization alone. Changes in As mobility in both mineral treatments significantly correlated with 87Sr/86Sr. Overall, this study demonstrates long-term metal(loid) enrichment in soil and wheat from mineral fertilization and establishes 87Sr/86Sr as a robust tracer of fertilizer impacts. These findings underscore the need for targeted fertilization strategies to reduce contaminant accumulation in agroecosystems. File list: MetalFertilizationWheat.csv - data used for the above paper. -------------------------- METHODOLOGICAL INFORMATION -------------------------- Description of methods used for collection/generation of data: * Sample Collection: archived wheat grain and soil samples were retrieved from the Static Fertilization Experiment (SFE) in Bad Lauchstädt, Germany (more information can be found at https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=39220) * Soil Characteristics and Yield Data: retrieved from SFE database * Wheat Grain Digestion: via HNO3/H2O2 digestion * Total Soil and Fertilizer Digestion: via HCl/HNO3/H2O2 digestion * Mobile Soil Pool Extraction: 0.01 M CaCl2 extraction for 15-minutes at 1:6.67 w/v ratio * Elemental Analysis: Thermo Fisher X-Series II Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer at Duke University * Isotope Analysis: ThermoFisher Triton Thermal Ionizing Mass Spectrometer -------------------------- DATA-SPECIFIC INFORMATION -------------------------- Variable/field list: MetalFertilizationWheat.csv Variable Unit Description SampleNo unique ID for each samples Classification information regarding fertilization treatment or fertilizer type Stripe experimental field location identifier Year year sample was collected Type description of sample media SOC % soil organic carbon totN % soil total nitrogen pH measure of acidity or basicity Yields decitons/ha quantity of wheat grain harvested, based on dry weight Sr8786 87Sr/86Sr strontium isotope ratio P mg/kg (ppm) concentration of phosphorus Ca mg/kg (ppm) concentration of calcium Zn mg/kg (ppm) concentration of zinc Sr mg/kg (ppm) concentration of strontium V mg/kg (ppm) concentration of vanadium As mg/kg (ppm) concentration of arsenic Cd mg/kg (ppm) concentration of cadmium Pb mg/kg (ppm) concentration of lead U mg/kg (ppm) concentration of uranium Missing data treatment: n.d. no data (i.e., not quantified or not detected above detection limit) not measured or not applicable ------------------------- USE and ACCESS INFORMATION -------------------------- License: CC0 To cite the data: Hill, R. C., Pieńkowska, A., Merbach, I., Reitz, T., Muehe, E. M., Vengosh, A. (2025). Long-term fertilization impacts on metal(loid) transfer from soil to wheat in a 120-year fertilization experiment – using 87Sr/86Sr isotopes as metal(loid) tracer. Duke Research Data Repository. https://doi.org/10.7924/r40293w8x