A
glasshouse experiment was set up to investigate arsenic uptake in rye corn grown
in different arsenic rich substrates. Sods of material were taken from various
locations and planted with rye corn seeds. The plants grew for 13 weeks after
which time the above ground biomass was harvested. Analysis of the rye corn
plants showed a narrow range of arsenic concentrations, which did not reflect
the arsenic contents of the soil. Comparison of the results from this study with
previous work showed the glasshouse rye corn to have lower arsenic
concentrations in above ground biomass than rye corn grown in field conditions.
The environmental conditions present on the tailings and water-rock interactions
were considered the main factors involved with the difference in arsenic uptake
between field studies and the glasshouse study. This suggests that
bioavailability processes are influenced by a variety of factors and cannot
necessarily be predicted by the use of soil factors or glasshouse trials alone
as is often done when planning phytoremediation work and mine shut
down.