Contents and the biogeochemical characteristics of rare earth elements in wheat seeds

Contents of fifteen rare earth elements (REEs) in the seeds of sixty breeds of wheat collected from seed bank were measured by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The distribution patterns of contents of REEs in wheat seeds (n = 58) were observed and compared with their average level in soils (n = 364). Differences among regions and between spring and winter wheat were tested. Comparison with literature data was also made. The results show that the content of REEs in wheat seed ranges between 10(-11) g . g(-1) and 10(-8) g . g(-1), 3-4 order of magnitudes lower than that in soils. The distribution patterns are that light REEs enriched and the Eu-anomaly is weak, similar to the soil case. No obvious differences were found among different regions and breeds. The data obtained in this study represent the contents of the fifteen REEs in wheat seeds.