Effect of barium selenate fertilizer on the concentration of barium in pasture and sheep tissues

To provide a slow-release form of selenium, a barium selenate (BaSeO4) fertilizer was applied to a subterranean clover pasture at two sites at Bakers Hill in Western Australia. The rate was 10 g of Se ha-1; this supplies Ba at 17.4 g ha-1. The uptake of Ba in pasture and the liver, kidney cortex, and muscle tissues of sheep grazing the pasture was measured. There was no significant increase in Ba concentration in either the pasture or the sheep tissues from the BaSeO4 application. There was however, up to a 3-fold difference in pasture concentration of Ba between the two sites. Furthermore, dry summer pasture had a 2-3 times higher concentration of Ba than the green pasture in spring. The concentration of Ba in the kidney cortex was significantly higher from sheep at the site with the higher pasture concentration, but the concentrations of Ba in other sheep tissues samples were not different. There was no adverse effect from the Ba in the application of BaSeO4 as a slow-release selenium fertilizer for pasture