Radu LĂCĂTUŞU^1,2, Mihaela LUNGU¹, Mihaela Monica STANCIU-BURILEANU¹, Anca Rovena LĂCĂTUŞU¹, Ion RÎŞNOVEANU¹, Andrei VRÂNCEANU¹ & Rodica LAZĂR^1
1 National Research and Development Institute for Soil Science, Agrochemistry, and Environment Protection (RISSA Bucharest), 61 Mărăşti Blvd., 011464 Bucharest (radu@icpa.ro; radu58rtl@yahoo.com)
²“Al. I. Cuza” University, Iassy

SELENIUM IN THE SOIL-PLANT SYSTEM OF THE FĂGĂRAŞ DEPRESSION

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The soil cover of the Făgăraş Depression consists of different types and sub-types belonging to the following classes: Protisols, Umbrisols, Cambisols, Luvisols, and Hydrisols. These soils are generally acid, with low humus and total nitrogen contents and low up to average mobile phosphorus and potassium contents. They have a predominantly loamy texture. The heavy metals contents are normal. The total selenium content oscillates between 12 and 587 μg·kg^-1, with an average value of 268 μg·kg^-1. This value is 30% lower than the average selenium content in the World’s soils unaffected by deficiency or excess phenomena. The soil mobile selenium, soluble in the EDTA-CH3COONH4 solution at pH 7.0, oscillates between 9 and 28 μg·kg^-1, with an average value of 15 μg·kg^-1, comparable with the one in Central and Southern Dobrogea, where deficiency phenomena were registered with sheep. The tendency maps of the total an mobile selenium contents distribution in the Făgăraş Depression soils highlight low contents in the Northern and Central-Eastern part as well as 2-3 points of concentrated values around the localities Făgăraş, Victoria, and Mârşa. Between some of the soils chemical properties (pH, mobile potassium, heavy metals contents) and the mobile selenium contents statistically ensured correlations were registered. The average selenium content in the fodder plants of the Făgăraş Depression (19 μg·kg^-1) is four times lower than the average selenium content of some similar plants grown in other countries. A direct correlation is highlighted between the soil deficient selenium content, the deficient selenium content in the fodder plants grown on these soils, and the selenium deficiency phenomena registered with animals.