Selenium toxicity in soils, plants and animals in some parts of Punjab, India

Abstract

Pockets of seleniferous soils have been identified in north eastern parts of Punjab, India, by examining the Se content of soils, irrigation water, plants and animal tissues. Toxic sites ranging from 4 ‐ 16 ha were sporadically distributed in the study area and occupied more than 100 ha. In the seleniferous areas, the selenium content of surface (2.12 ± 1.13 mg kg‐1) and sub surface (1.16±0.51mg kg‐1) layers of soils was 4–5 times higher than that of nonseleniferous areas. It seems that the deposition of seleniferous materials transported by seasonal rivulets from higher reaches of the Siwalik hills and use of underground water for frequently irrigating crops like lowland rice lead to the development of seleniferous pockets in the study area.