Comparison of single and sequential soil extractions for predicting copper phytotoxicity

Abstract

Phytotoxicity of copper (Cu) and other heavy metals is related to their forms in soil. In this study, different forms of Cu in the soil solid phase, i.e. exchangeable, sorbed, organically bound, precipitate, and residual forms were measured, using a sequential fractionation procedure (SFP), in a soil amended with various rates of Cu. The relationships between different forms of Cu by SFP in soil or Cu extractable by Mehlich 1 (M1) and Mehlich 3 (M3) and accumulation of Cu by citrus roots or shoots were examined. The results showed that Cu mainly existed in the organic fraction. An increase in soil pH decreased the organic fraction and increased the precipitate fraction of Cu. Copper concentration in citrus root was found to correlate with the water soluble, organic, or precipitate fractions of Cu in the soil. Multiple regressions using different forms of Cu in soil gave the same prediction of Cu concentration in citrus root as that using Ml‐ or M3‐extractable Cu.     

Sorption-desorption behaviors of heavy metals by biochar-compost amendment with different ratios in contaminated wetland soil

Purpose

Heavy metal pollution in soils has become a global environmental concern. The combination of biochar and compost has already been proved to be an attractive method in contaminated soil. The objective was to study the sorption-desorption characteristics of Cd, Cu, and Zn onto soil amended with combined biochar-compost.

Materials and methods

In this study, the soil was amended with combinations of biochar and compost with different ratios at 10% (w/w). To determine the sorption-desorption behaviors of heavy metals by biochar-compost amendment with different ratios, we determine the effects of different ratios on soil properties and use batch experiments to investigate sorption-desorption behaviors of Cd, Cu, and Zn.

Results and discussion

The results show that the Langmuir and Freundlich model can well describe the adsorption isotherm of Cd, Cu, and Zn in the soils with or without biochar-compost combinations. The incorporation of amendment combinations into soil significantly promotes the sorption affinity of soil on metals. The sorption capacity of Cd and Zn was improved as the compost percentage rose in biochar-compost more likely due to the increase of organic matter and available phosphorus, while that of Cu was stronger with 10 and 20% biochar addition in biochar-compost combinations likely as the result of the formation of new specific adsorption sites and the mobile Cu adsorption in compost after adding a certain amount of biochar in amendment mixtures. Additionally, a certain proportion of biochar applied into amendment mixtures could suppress desorption of Cd and Cu by pH change, and the Zn desorption rate gradually decreased as the compost ratio increased in amendment mixtures.

Conclusions

The results indicated that the various ratios between biochar and compost have a significant effect on sorption-desorption of metals in soil, which helps us consider the effective combination of biochar and compost in soil.

     

The influence of variations in soil copper on the yield and nutrition of spinach grown in microplots on two organic soils

Abstract

Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L. cv. Symphony) was grown in spring 1982 in field microplots of an organic soil (site I a mucky peat) containing 81 to 1063 μg Cu.g^‐1 soil, and cv. America of the same crop taken in summer 1982 on a peaty organic soil (site II) varying in Cu content from 13 to 1659 μg.g^‐1. The variations in soil Cu were mainly due to three rates of Cu applications in 1978 at site II and in 1979 at site I. At site I, the diversity in soil‐Cu had no effect on yield or foliar‐Cu levels in the crop. At site II soil‐Cu was positively correlated with yield and foliar Cu; and negatively with leaf Fe due to a dilution effect. Neither soil Cu nor foliar Cu had any significant effect on Mo in leaves at both sites, except that the increase in yield due to the highest level of Cu at site II was accompanied by an increased plant uptake of Mo. Also, foliar Cu was positively correlated with P, Mg and Mn levels in leaves at site I; and foliar Ca, Mg and Mn at site II.

Residual soil Cu up to 1063 μg.g^‐1 in a mucky peat and 16 59 μg.g^‐1 in a peat showed no signs of causing phytotoxocity or significant nutritional imbalance.     

Distribution and availability of fungicide-derived copper in soil aggregates

Purpose

Soil consists of various sizes of aggregates, and different soil aggregates vary in their abilities to adsorb or transport metals. This study aimed to investigate the distribution behaviors of Cu from different fungicides in soil aggregates after a 15-month incubation.

Materials and methods

Bordeaux mixture (CuSO₄/Ca(OH)₂?=?1/1 by weight, BR), copper nitrate (Cu(NO₃)₂·4H₂O, CN), and copper oxychloride (3Cu(OH)₂·CuCl₂, CO) were applied to a representative Chinese Mollisol to reach the Cu content 200 mg kg^?1. Five soil aggregate fractions, i.e., >?2000 μm, 2000–1000 μm, 1000–500 μm, 500–250 μm, and <?250 μm, were obtained by the wet sieving method. The modified Bureau Communautaire de Références (BCR) sequential extraction was applied to assess the Cu distribution among the main soil fractions.

Results and discussion

The highest Cu mass loading was found for the >?2000-μm soil aggregate. The input Cu was mainly in stable fractions, and the highest proportion was found for the residual fraction. The bioavailability and mobility of Cu from different fungicides in soils varied from each other, and they presented an order of CO > CN > BR. High bioavailability and transferring coefficients were found in the <?250-μm and >?2000-μm soil aggregates.

Conclusions

This study indicated that the input Cu from fungicides mainly distributed in the >?2000-μm soil aggregates. Moreover, the CO-derived Cu presented a higher availability than the BR- and CN-derived Cu in the soil.

     

Zinc and copper toxicity in peanut,soybean, rice,and corn in soil mixtures

Abstract

Applications of zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) at excessive rates may result in phytotoxicity. Experiments were conducted with mixtures of soils that were similar except for their Zn and Cu levels. The critical toxicity levels (CTL) in the soils and plants for these elements were determined. Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.), soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], corn (Zea mays L.), and rice (Oryza sativa L.) were the crops grown. One soil mixture had Mehlich 3‐extractable Zn concentrations up to 300 mg dm^‐3 with no corresponding increase in soil Cu; two soil mixtures had soil Zn concentrations up to 400 and 800 mg dm^‐3 with a corresponding increase in soil Cu up to 20 and 25 mg dm^‐3, respectively; and four soil mixtures had no increase in soil Zn, but had Mehlich 1‐extractable Cu concentrations from 6 to 286 mg kg^‐1. Under a given set of greenhouse conditions, the estimated Mehlich 3‐extractable Zn CTL was 36 mg dm^‐3 for peanut, 70 mg dm^‐3 for soybean, between 160 and 320 mg dm^‐3 for rice, and >300 mg dm^‐3 for corn. No soil Cu CTL was apparent for peanut or soybean, but for corn it was 17 mg dm^‐3 and for rice 13 mg dm^‐3. With different greenhouse procedures and the Mehlich 1 extractant, the soil CTL for rice was only 4.4 mg kg^‐1. Therefore, peanut and soybean were more sensitive to Zn toxicity, whereas corn and rice were more sensitive to Cu toxicity. Plant Zn CTL for peanut was 230 mg kg^‐1, while that for soybean was 140 mg kg^‐1. Copper appeared to be toxic to corn and rice at plant concentrations exceeding 20 mg kg^‐1.     

Excess trace metal effects on cotton: 2. Copper,zinc, cobalt and manganese in Yolo loam soil

Abstract

Two cultivars of cotton (Gossypium spp.) were grown in Yolo loam soil (soil pH about 6) in pots in a glasshouse to determine phytotoxic effects of excesses of Cu, Zn, Co, and Mn. Leaf yields of cv. Acala SJ‐2 were depressed 35% by 400 μg Cu/g soil, 54% by 400 μg Zn/g soil, 98% by 400 μg Co/g soil, and 84% by 2000 μg Mn/g soil. Leaf metal concentrations at these application levels in μg/g leaf were 12.0 Cu, 520 Zn, 243 Co, and 14780 Ma, respectively. Plants were tolerant of in / dry leaves of 10 Cu, 157 Zn and 444 Mn. The concentration for Co could not be ascertained. Leaf yields of cv. Giza 70 were depressed 53% by 400 μg Cu/g soil, 25% by 400 μg Zn/g soil, 92% by 400 μg Co/g soil and 90% by 2000 μg Mn/g soil. This cv. was more tolerant of Zn than Acala SJ‐2. Leaf metal concentrations at these application levels in μg/g leaf were 11.8 Cu, 312 Zn, 224 Co, and 18300 Mn respectively. Gradients of these four elements existed from leaves to stems. Many interactions with other elements were observed.     

Effects of natural zeolites on ryegrass growth and bioavailability of Cd,Ni, Pb,and Zn in an Albanian contaminated soil

Purpose

The use of eco-friendly and cost-effective adsorbent materials in the remediation of soils contaminated by potentially toxic elements (PTE) is a sustainable way of reducing the transfer of these elements into the food chain. However, an evaluation of the potential of natural zeolites to immobilize toxic elements in contaminated soils was required to enable their efficient use.

Materials and methods

The effect of natural zeolite (Stilbite-Stellerite) from the Munella area (Northern Albania), added at rates ranging from 1.25 to 10 % w/w on a contaminated soil was investigated in a greenhouse pot experiment with ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum L.) and by selective extractions. PTE availability for plants was assessed either as their accumulation in plant tissue or by DTPA-extraction. Oral bio-accessibility was estimated by the in vitro PBET method and the mobility and consequent potential risk of leaching by the USEPA TLCP method. The effect of zeolites on soil properties (pH, electrical conductivity-EC, organic C, and total N) was also investigated. A five steps sequential extraction procedure (SEP) was applied to investigate the immobilization mechanism.

Results and discussion

The addition of 2.5% w/w of natural zeolites caused a significant decrease of PTE mobility, but to observe a significant reduction of DTPA-extractable metals, it was necessary to reach 10% addition rate. In contrast, plant growth showed a gradual increase with addition rate and a corresponding decrease of concentration of PTE in plant tissue. Correlation between DTPA-extractable PTE and their concentration in both root and shoot plant tissue was rather poor. Human hazard due to soil ingestion (PBET method) changed only for Cu and Zn in the gastric phase with 1.25 and 5% addition rate respectively, whereas decreased for Cu and Zn at 5% rate in the Intestinal phase. The results of SEP support the hypothesis that the main mechanism involved in metals fixation are as follows: (1) insolubilization by pH rise, (2) adsorption on Fe/Mn oxides (3) increase of cation exchange retention, (4) organic complexation.

Conclusions

The results of this work suggest that the addition of natural zeolites from the Munella area (AL) is a sustainable practice to reduce the environmental impact of PTE contaminated soils, but an assessment on the longevity of their immobilization need to be evaluated in the long-term perspectives.

     

Influence of salinity in irrigation water on forage sorghum and soil chemical properties

Abstract

Soluble salts found in wastewater can be toxic when used for irrigation of forages. Thus, two greenhouse experiments were conducted to investigate effects of saline [CaCl₂NaCl (3:1, w:w)] treatments on soil chemical properties and ‘Dekalb FS‐5’ forage sorghum [Sorghum bicolor(L.) Moench]. Treatments for the first experiment consisted of a nonsaline control or 500 mL of a solution with an electrical conductivity (EC) of 10 dS m^?1 applied once. In the second experiment, treatments were salinity levels of 1.7,3.5,5.2,8.5, and 12.2 dS m^?1, applied in non‐nitrogenous Hoagland's solution as the sole source of irrigation. Both experiments were replicated four times. For both experiments forage sorghum was seeded in pots containing 7 kg of air‐dried Amarillo fine sandy loam soil. Sorghum survivability and plant height were measured. In the second experiment, water use by sorghum was also measured. Plants were harvested 7 wk after seeding, weighed, dried at 55°C, weighed, and ground for subsequent mineral analysis. After harvest, soil salinity, pH, and in the second experiment, extractable soil elements were determined. Soil salinity increased, while soil pH decreased, with the salinity treatments. Extracted soil calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na), potassium (K), manganese (Mn), and cadmium (Cd) increased while sulfur (S), iron (Fe), and copper (Cu) decreased, and aluminum (Al) and zinc (Zn) exhibited no change with increasing salinity. Sorghum aerial plant and root production decreased with increasing salinity. Plant Ca, strontium (Sr), Mn, and Cd levels increased with increasing salinity. In contrast, sorghum K, P, and S levels declined with increasing salinity.     

Optimization of portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometry for the assessment of soil total copper concentrations: application at an ancient smelting site

Purpose

Copper (Cu) is the earliest anthropogenic metal pollutant, but knowledge of Cu soil concentrations at ancient metalworking sites is limited. The objective of this work was to examine the ability of portable X-ray fluorescence to quantify Cu in soils at such sites.

Materials and methods

Using a Bruker Tracer III-SD pXRF, we examine factory “scan” settings versus simple instrument parameter changes (a reduction in energy settings from 40 to 12 kV) to target analysis for Cu. We apply these to a set of uncontaminated samples (n?=?18, <?92 mg Cu kg^?1) from Central Thailand and compare results to standard wet chemistry analysis (aqua regia digestion and ICP-OES analysis). We then apply the optimized method to a set of highly contaminated samples (n?=?86, <?14,200 mg Cu kg^?1) from a known ancient smelting site.

Results and discussion

We demonstrate that simple changes to factory recommended “scan” settings can double the sensitivity of Cu determination via pXRF (“optimized limit of determination” of 19.3 mg kg^?1 versus an initial value of 39.4 mg kg^?1) and dramatically improve the accuracy of analysis. Changes to other results for other elements are variable and depend on concentration ranges, soil matrix effects, and pXRF response for the individual element. We demonstrate that pXRF can accurately determine Cu across a wide concentration range and identify grossly contaminated soil samples.

Conclusions

We conclude that pXRF is a useful tool to rapidly screen and analyse samples at remote sites and can be applied to ancient metalworking sites. Simple optimization of the pXRF settings greatly improves accuracy and is essential in determining comparative background concentrations and “unaffected” areas. Application to other elements requires further element and matrix specific optimization.

     

Plant heavy metal concentrations and soil biological properties in agricultural serpentine soils

Abstract

Soils developed on serpentinitic rocks have serious limitations for agriculture. They have high levels of magnesium (Mg) and heavy metals [copper (Cu), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), and chromium (Cr)] and are deficient in some macronutrients. In parts of Northwestern Spain, serpentine soils have been subjected to intensive management, based on the use of manure and harvesting residues. Although these practices have allowed the growth of crops, plants may have accumulated high amounts of metals. This study was carried out to assess the effect of the management practices on the uptake of heavy metals by crops, and to analyze the relationship between the concentrations of these metals in plants, and soil properties. Moderate levels of Ni and Mn and low levels of Cr and Cu were found in soil extractable fractions of these metals. In spite of this, analysis of plant tissues revealed high levels of Cr and Ni and moderate contents of Mn. Concentrations of Mn and Ni in foliage were correlated to soil extractable contents, whereas simple linear regression between concentration of Cr in plants and the soil‐extractable Cr showed a poor relationship, possibly because the availability of this metal, as Cr(VI), is determined by temporal environmental conditions. To assess the effects of the management on the uptake of heavy metals by plants, a complementary bioassay experiment was carried out in the laboratory in which Festuca rubra and Agrostis stolonifera were sown on serpentine soil with low organic matter content, and amended with peat and/or lime. This experiment confirmed that there is a reduction in heavy metal concentration in plants after organic amendment and suggested that the lower metal availability is partly due to the higher soil microbial activity, produced as a consequence of addition of organic matter.     

Heavy metals in crops as affected by soil types and sewage sludge rates

Abstract

A municipal sewage sludge was applied at three application rates to three soils in field lysimeters to study the effects of soil and sludge application rate on cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), and zinc (Zn) absorbed by ‘Larker’ barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and by Swiss chard (Beta vulgaris L. ‘Cicla'). Sludge applied at 20, 40, and 100 Mg/ha oven‐dry equivalent were mixed into the top 0.15 m of soil in each lysimeter. In addition, a nil sludge rate (control) received 125 kg N/ha. Metal contents were relatively low in barley grain, higher in barley straw, and highest in Swiss chard. Metal contents in plants increased with increasing sludge loading. Most plants grown on soil amended with the higher sludge rates were too high in Cd (greater than 0.5 mg/kg of dry feed material) to be suitable for animal consumption. No plant materials tested exceeded the suggested maximum Zn, Cu, or Ni levels.     

Toxicity of brass powder to corn and the relationship to soil fractionation of copper and zinc

Abstract

The relationship of Cu and Zn fractionation in soils to plant growth was investigated on a Sassafras sandy loam (fine‐loamy, siliceous, mesic Typic Hapludult) and a Joppa gravelly sandy loam (loamy‐skeletal, siliceous, mesic Typic Hapludult). Pot studies were conducted in the greenhouse exposing corn (Zea mays cv. Silver Queen) to concentrations of 0, 100, 200, and 400 mg brass powder/kg soil. The corn was grown over a two week period, during which time individual plant heights were taken to note differences in plant growth. Data showed that plant height was reduced when the concentration of brass powder in the soil was increased. Total and fractionated Cu and Zn levels in the soils were analyzed and compared to height. Regression equations showed a more explicit relationship between height and exchangeable Cu levels rather than other Cu and Zn levels in the two soils. Additionally, a more pronounced effect was seen in plants grown on the Sassafras sandy loam, which was attributed to differences in soil physicochemical properties.     

AB‐DTPA and Mehlich III soil tests unable to predict copper available to creeping bentgrass

Abstract

Copper (Cu) can be toxic to creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris ’Penncross') grown in sand‐based systems. Plant analysis is not always a reliable predictor of toxic levels of Cu in these sand‐based systems. Therefore, there is need for soil analysis to detect potentially toxic Cu concentrations in soil. The objective of this research was to determine the effectiveness of AB‐DTPA and Mehlich III soil tests to assess Cu availability to ‘Penncross’ creeping bentgrass grown in calcareous and silica sand/peat media. Samples of sand/ peat were removed from greenhouse pots, air dried, and Cu was analyzed by inductively coupled argon plasma spectrometry (ICAP/IRIS). Correlations were made between extracted Cu and Cu in the shoot and root tissue of the plant. The AB‐DTPA‐extractable Cu was 24% and 42% higher for the calcareous sand at the 400 and 600 mg kg^‐1 Cu treatments, respectively, when compared with Cu extracted from the silica sand. The Mehlich III soil test extracted 25% more Cu at the 400 mg kg^‐1 Cu treatment and 37% more Cu at the 600 mg kg^‐1 Cu treatment from the calcareous as compared to the silica medium. Shoot and root tissue Cu concentrations were higher at all Cu treatment levels for plants grown in silica sand. Although correlations were significant between Cu extracted from both sands by the AB‐DTPA and Mehlich III soil tests and Cu in the shoot and root tissue of plants, these extractants were unsuccessful in determining Cu availability from the two sand medium. This research indicates a need for a soil test which can be effectively used to extract plant‐available Cu from sand‐based systems.     

Application of VNIR and machine learning technologies to predict heavy metals in soil and pollution indices in mining areas

Purpose

Soil pollution indices are an effective tool in the computation of metal contamination in soil. They monitor soil quality and ensure future sustainability in agricultural systems. However, calculating a soil pollution index requires laboratory measurements of multiple soil heavy metals, which increases the cost and complexity of evaluating soil heavy metal pollution. Visible and near-infrared spectroscopy (VNIR, 350–2500 nm) has been widely used in predicting soil properties due to its advantages of a rapid analysis, non-destructiveness, and a low cost.

Methods

In this study, we evaluated the ability of the VNIR to predict soil heavy metals (As, Cu, Pb, Zn, and Cr) and two commonly used soil pollution indices (Nemerow integrated pollution index, NIPI; potential ecological risk index, RI). Three nonlinear machine learning techniques, including cubist regression tree (Cubist), Gaussian process regression (GPR), and support vector machine (SVM), were compared with partial least squares regression (PLSR) to determine the most suitable model for predicting the soil heavy metals and pollution indices.

Results

The results showed that the nonlinear machine learning models performed significantly better than the PLSR model in most cases. Overall, the SVM model showed a higher prediction accuracy and a stronger generalization for Zn (R²_V?=?0.95, RMSE_V?=?6.75 mg kg^?1), Cu (R²_V?=?0.95, RMSE_V?=?8.04 mg kg^?1), Cr (R²_V?=?0.90, RMSE_V?=?6.57 mg kg^?1), Pb (R²_V?=?0.86, RMSE_V?=?4.14 mg kg^?1), NIPI (R²_V?=?0.93, RMSE_V?=?0.31), and RI (R²_V?=?0.90, RMSE_V 3.88). In addition, the research results proved that the high prediction accuracy of the three heavy metal elements Cu, Pb, and Zn and their significant positive correlations with the soil pollution indices were the reason for the accurate prediction of NIPI and RI.

Conclusion

Using VNIR to obtain soil pollution indices quickly and accurately is of great significance for the comprehensive evaluation, prevention, and control of soil heavy metal pollution.

     

Heavy metals immobilization in contaminated soil by grape-pruning-residue biochar

To investigate the influence of grape-pruning-residue (GPR) biochar on cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) immobilization in a contaminated soil, a laboratory study was conducted with different rates of GPR biochar (0, 2, 5 and 10% w/w) at 25°C. After 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks of incubation, the Tessier sequential extraction procedure was performed and metal mobility factor (MF) and metal stability index (I_R) were calculated. The exchangeable (EX) and carbonate (CAR) fractions of the metals decreased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) with the biochar addition. The EX metal fractions decreased by 23 to 72%, and the CAR fractions decreased by 51 to 67% in the 10% biochar treatment after 8-week incubation. The MF values of Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn decreased by 47, 62, 70 and 49%, respectively, with addition %10 of the biochar. Biochar addition favored the metal redistribution into more stable fractions and resulted in an increase in I_R values. The results demonstrated that the GPR biochar, especially at high application rate (10%), can effectively immobilize the heavy metals, thereby reducing their mobility in contaminated soils.     

Evaluation of soil enzyme activities and microbial communities in tomato continuous cropping soil treated with jerusalem artichoke residues

ABSTRACT

Jerusalem artichoke (JY) (Helianthus tuberosus L.) has been reported to have a strong inhibitory effect on weed growth and root knot nematodes, but little information is available on the effects on soil ecosystems, especially soil microorganisms and soil enzyme activities. Understanding the dynamics of soil microbes and soil enzyme activities in cropping systems can help determine how agricultural practices influence soil processes mediated by JY residues. This study used a pot experiment, with five-year continuous cropping soil of tomato plants as the experimental material and 2% (w/w) JY residue as the treatment material in the soil. The treatment was compared to continuously monocropped tomato soil that was not treated with JY residues. The results of 16S high-throughput sequencing showed that both fungal and bacterial community structure and composition varied significantly at each stage of JY treatment. The analysis showed that the major phyla in the soil fungal community included Ascomycota, Zygomycota and Basidiomycota. Chytridiomycota was dominant in only the JY-treated soil. At the genus level, the abundances of Mortierella, Cephaliophora, Cryptococcus and Fusarium notably changed at each stage of JY treatment. In the bacterial community in the JY-treated group, the abundance of Proteobacteria increased significantly, while that of Firmicutes decreased significantly, compared to the control group. JY enhanced the activity of soil sucrase and urease. In addition, the soil sucrase activity showed a strong negative correlation with Fusarium and Bacillus. Overall, our results revealed that JY residues changed both the soil bacterial and fungal community composition and the soil enzyme activities.     

Pear seedling response to phosphorus in a phosphorus‐fixing soil

Abstract

The effect of P on growth of ‘Bartlett’ pear (Pyrus communis L.) seedlings was evaluated on the P‐fixing, Parkdale soil (Vitrandepts) from Oregon, USA. The P treatment levels were 0.03, 0.04, 0.06, 0.09, 0.15, 0.25, and 0.40 mg P/L of soil solution, based on a P‐sorption isotherm. At age 145 days, the dry weight response to P was significant. Seedlings required 0.25 mg P/L for maximum growth. This corresponds to 723 mg P/kg soil based upon the P‐sorption isotherm. Standard P soil tests did not accurately predict seedling response to P. About one‐half of the soil P was in the chemisorbed fraction.     

Responses of earlirose rice to iron,zinc, and BPDS when grown on calcareous soil

Abstract

The Earlirose cultivar of rice (Oryza sativa L.) grown in calcareous Hacienda loam soil was extremely Fe deficient. The Fe deficiency was corrected by premixing 40 ppm Fe (as FeSO₄) into the soil before transplanting plants. The Fe deficiency appeared to be induced by high plant levels of Cu and Mn. Addition of Zn (40 ppm as ZnSO₄) intensified the Fe deficiency. The Fe addition did not overcome the effect of the Zn. BPDS (bathophenanthroline disulfonate), a chelator of Fe⁺⁺, had little effect on the results.     

Performance of biochar derived from Cymbopogon winterianus waste at two temperatures on soil properties and growth of Bacopa monneri

ABSTRACT

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of biochar derived from the distilled waste of Cymbopogon winterianus at two different pyrolysis temperatures (450°C and 850°C) on the chemical and biological properties of sandy loamy soil (SLS) and its subsequent impact on plant growth. Pot experiments utilizing Bacopa monnieri were performed in a greenhouse with four different application rates of biochar (2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% (w/w)) for 120 days. Biochar induced alterations in soil properties (nutrients, enzymes, and microbes) and plant responses (yield, biocide and antioxidant content) to biochar addition were measured. Biochar application, notably improved the soil carbon, cation exchange capacity, and the availability of NH₄ ⁺ and phosphorus. Initially, biochar produced at the lower temperature had more effect on the available nitrogen, phosphorus, soil enzymatic properties, and plant biomass growth. After 120 days, the pyrolysis temperature had only a marginal influence on biochar-induced effects on soil pH, WHC, and soil enzymatic activities. Our results suggest that C. winterianus derived biochar amendment leads to an overall amelioration of soil fertility and plant growth improvement. In specific biochar produced at lower temperatures (450°C) was more effective for improvement of plant biomass and soil characteristics.     

Frequency distribution of several trace metals in 72 corn plants grown together in contaminated soil in a glasshouse

Abstract

A 9‐kg quantity of Yolo loam soil was contaminated in sequence with (In μg/g soil) 100 Cd, 100 Zn, 100 Co, 12.5 Li, and 100 Ni. Corn (Zea mays L. C. V. Golden Cross N. C. ) was grown together in the soil for 22 days from seed. Seventy‐two harvested plants were assayed separately. Several different trace metals were tested for normal and loge frequency distribution patterns. Some followed log_e normal distribution more closely than a normal distribution as indicated by kurtosis values. Two followed normal distribution more closely than log_e normal distribution. Some negative skewness was observed with the log_e normal distribution, but only that for Co was significant. The yields of the plants were significantly and negatively correlated with the concentrations of Ni, Co, Cu, and Cd in shoots. Stepwise regression analysis indicated that it was reasonably Possible to determine which of the trace metals of the mixture caused phytotoxicity. Some pairs of trace metals were highly and positively correlated: Zn‐Cu, Zn‐Cd, Cu‐Cd, Mn‐Li, Co‐Ni, Co‐Cd are examples. The mixed trace metals decreased shoot concentrations of P and Mo and increased Al and Ti relative to control plants not receiving added metals. The Si was also decreased by trace metals and was positively related to yields.