Can liming reduce barium uptake by agricultural plants grown on sandy soil?

Uptake of barium (Ba) from soil by vascular plants varies among species. Despite the toxicity of soluble Ba compounds to plants, research on mechanisms controlling Ba uptake from natural soils is scarce. This study investigated the treatment effect of lime (CaCO3) added to a sandy soil containing a total of 500 mg Ba kg−1 on uptake and interspecies distribution of Ba in legumes and other cultivated food and feed plants. Nine species of grasses, vegetables, herbs, and legumes were cultivated under controlled conditions in a greenhouse experiment. The plants were harvested at maturity or flowering, dried, milled, and digested with nitric acid using the microwave technique prior to ICP‐MS analysis. All plant species acquired Ba from the soil in considerable amounts, probably due to low Ba adsorption potential of the sandy soil. Shoot tissue concentrations ranged from about 100 (grass) to 600 mg Ba kg−1 (legume) and root concentrations from about 100 (tuber vegetable) to 700 mg kg−1 (legume). Vicia cracca L. (bird vetch) showed an accumulation capacity due to high shoot concentrations of Ba compared to the other species. Higher yield accompanied by a potential dilution effect can partly explain why Trifolium repens L. (white clover), Pisum sativum ssp. arvénse L. (gray pea) and Hordeum vulgare L. (barley) did not display the highest Ba concentrations, but showed the highest Ba uptake from soil. High plant uptake of calcium (Ca) also seemed to enhance Ba uptake, by legumes in particular. However, liming reduced shoot Ba concentrations, particularly of species with low affinity for Ca. The risk of Ba accumulation thus raises toxicity concerns when forage legumes are cultivated in soils containing elevated concentrations of Ba.