Groundwater-induced alterations in elemental concentration and interactions in semi-arid soils of the Southern High Plains, USA

This study examined and compared arsenic (As) and other element [copper (Cu), iron (Fe), potassium (K), manganese (Mn), rubidium (Rb), and zinc (Zn)] distribution, as well as their interactions in historically irrigated and non-irrigated semi-arid agricultural soils of the Southern High Plains (SHP) in the USA, using findings from a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer. The portable X-ray fluorescence (PXRF) findings revealed that the concentrations of As (5.1 vs. 3.1 mg kg −1 ), Cu (7.2 vs. 6.2), Fe (7398 vs. 5677), K (8638 vs. 7061), Mn (80 vs. 68), Rb (36 vs. 27), and Zn (19.3 vs. 13.8) were higher in the historically irrigated field compared to the non-irrigated and, when examined within depths, were consistently and significantly higher ( P