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Topsoil samples ( n = 40) were collected from a heavily industrialized region in Turkey. The region includes several scrap processing iron-steel plants with electric arc furnaces (EAFs), a petroleum refinery, a petrochemical complex, steel rolling mills, a natural gas-fired power plant, ship-breaking yards and very dense transportation activities. The region has undergone a rapid transition from an agricultural region to a heavily industrialized region in the last three decades. Collected soil samples were analyzed for 48 trace elements using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The elemental distribution pattern in the region indicated that Nemrut area with dense iron-steel production activities was a hotspot for elemental pollution. In addition to crustal elements, concentrations of anthropogenic trace elements (i.e., Fe, Zn, Pb, Mn, Cu, Cd, Cr and Mo) were very high in the area influencing many parts of the region. Elemental compositions of fugitive sources polluting the soil (i.e., paved and unpaved roads, slag piles, EAFs filter dust piles and coal piles) were also determined. The methods (enrichment factors [EFs] and the index of geoaccumulation [ I]) used for determination of pollution status of soil showed that Cr, Ag, Zn, As and Pb were the strongly contaminating elements for the region. Principal component analysis (PCA) clearly indicated that anthropogenic sources (steel production, refinery and petrochemical processes and traffic) were important sources in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Samples of soil and food plants were collected from wastewater-irrigated fields in the vicinity of Gaziantep, in southeast Turkey, and analyzed for several trace elements (TEs). The concentrations of Co, Mo and Zn in edible portions of corn, mint and vegetables (eggplant, pepper and tomato) were 0.03–0.66, 0.1–3.2 and 8–148mgkg−1, respectively. In the edible portions of corn and mint, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni and Pb concentrations in all samples were <0.01–0.05, 2.0–5.5, 6–47, 0.6–6.7 and 0.2–3.5mgkg−1, respectively. No single plant species had consistently high concentrations of all metals. For example, corn had the highest concentration of Zn (89mgkg−1), but the lowest concentration of Cd (<0.01mgkg−1). The maximum concentrations of some TEs in some crop samples, as well as soil samples, exceeded certain threshold values set in Turkey and other countries. For some TEs there was little difference between wastewater-irrigated and control soil concentrations. Transfer factors (TFs; plant concentration/soil concentration) were high for Cu, Zn and Mo, in comparison with the other TEs (Cd, Co, Cr, Ni and Pb). Higher uptake of certain metals may be associated with the dominant form of the element in the soil matrix. The uptake of chemicals to plant tissues is influenced by the chemical and physical characteristics of the soil and species-specific factors. Although the geochemistry of the region plays a significant role in the levels of TEs in soil and plants, bioaccumulation of metals and subsequent toxicity to plants and animals can be exacerbated by higher environmental concentrations caused by wastewater irrigation and other anthropogenic factors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The importance of olives to human health and nutrition is gradually increasing every passing year. Olive is a cultivated perennial plant, produced as table olives and olive oil, which are of economic importance in the Mediterranean countries—the most widespread olive-growing area—and Asian, American, and North African countries. In Turkey, olive growing is mostly carried out in the Aegean region followed by the Marmara and the Mediterranean regions. Thanks to the recently established olive groves, the importance of olive growing has increased. Although olive trees are more resistant to unfavorable conditions than other fruits, some problems such as a decrease in the yield and quality of the product may appear if there is a nutrition deficiency. Conditions for olive growing should be improved to provide the olive trees with better nutrition. To realize this aim, by determining nutritional status of sampling provinces with soil and leaf analysis recommendations about more accurate fertilization techniques will be provided. In this study, the amounts of microelements in the soil of olive groves and the nutritional status of microelements of olive trees in the provinces of Izmir, Manisa, Aydin, Mugla, Balikesir, Canakkale, and Bursa in the West Anatolia region were examined between the years of 1997 and 2009, and the relationships between the results of soil analysis and the results of leaf analysis were evaluated. Statistically significant correlations between the amounts of microelements in the soils and the amounts of microelements in the leaves were obtained. Although the soil and leaf samples were observed to have deficiencies in iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), zinc (Zn), and boron (B), the deficiency in copper (Cu) was found in only leaf samples. According to the results of soil analysis, it was observed that 39% of the groves reveal deficiency in Zn, whereas the results of the leaf analysis revealed that 75% of them had deficiency in Mn. It is vital that these results be taken into consideration while preparing fertilization programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil degradation and its relation to wheat yield were analyzed in a 1041.2-ha catchment in Ustic soil moisture regime in north-central Anatolia, Turkey. The soils in the study area were sampled based on a randomized sampling scheme, using 142 samples from topsoil and 115 samples from subsoil. All the soil samples were analyzed for sand, silt, clay, coarse material (material with a diameter of >2 mm), soil organic matter, phosphorous, nitrogen, boron, zinc, iron, electrical conductivity, pH, hydraulic conductivity, and cation exchange capacity. Wheat yield was measured at 115 sampling locations. Data were evaluated by global information system (GIS) will and variable reduction (factor analysis) techniques. The majority of the soil properties exhibited high variation with a skewed distribution. Low organic-matter content, high penetration resistance, low water-holding capacity, and deficiency in some macro- and microelements were the most important factors limiting wheat yield. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copper (Cu) is an essential trace element for all living organisms; however, excess amounts in soil, plants, and food have negative impacts on the environment and human health. The aim of this study was to determine Cu levels in different chemical phases of soils and the relationship between Cu levels in soil phases and concentrations in plants. Soils and plants grown in these soils from an industrialized area in Turkey were analyzed using a selective and four-stage sequential extraction procedure. Copper levels in exchangeable fractions were found up to 658 mg kg−1 while total levels were in the range of 133–5609 mg kg−1. Copper concentrations in plant parts (roots and stem) were in the range of 2.6–240 mg kg−1. The exchangeable forms of Cu were in the range of 3–22% of total Cu concentrations. The relationships were observed between soil Cu and Rumex plant Cu, and soil Cu and root of Brassicasea plant Cu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Samples of lichen species ( Xanthoria parietina) collected from Aegean Region of Turkey were analyzed by instrumental neutron activation analysis to determine the concentrations of 31 elements. The elements (Au, Rb, Zn, Hg, Sb, Cd, As, Cl, Br, and Se) showed enrichment with respect to the crustal composition. It has been hypothesized that lichen data can be examined more meaningfully without the inclusion of elements K, Mg, Ca, and Mn in the factor analysis. Four factors explaning 77.2% of the total variance were identified. The first factor represented the crustal elements Al, Na, Sc, Cr, Fe, La, and Sm along with contaminated soil with loadings of As, V, and Sb. The second factor was associated with mixed emissions including iron works (Cr, Zn, and Sb) and coal burning (As and Sb). The source profile of factor 3 was a strong marine component characterized by the elements Na, Cl, and Br. The factor 4, identified as regional background, contained the high loadings of As, Se, and Sb due to long-range transport of pariculate matter. These findings were supported by the geographical distribution of factor score maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The modification of soil composition in the urbanized area of Ankara due to wet–dry deposition and pollution-derived particles from the atmosphere is investigated by analyzing 120 surface soil samples, collected from the urbanized area and its un-urbanized surrounding, for major, minor and trace elements. Concentrations of elements from human activity (e.g. Cd, Pb, Cr, Zn, Cu and Ca) in the urbanized area were higher than their corresponding concentrations in global average soil and soil in un-urbanized areas outside the urbanized area. Metal contents in soil were very high in densely populated districts and around some industrial facilities. The only exception was Pb distribution, which was more dispersed, due to the nature of motor vehicle emissions. Alteration of the Cd, Zn, Cu and Cr content of soil was confined to the inhabited and industrial areas, whereas enrichment factors of these elements were close to unity in the remaining study area. Factor analysis identified two polluted soil factor associations. One factor includes elements, such as Zn and Cd, which had high factor scores in inhabited areas and the other factor (high loading of Pb) represents soil polluted by motor vehicle emissions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]