ISHS Acta Horticulturae 383: Mineral Nutrition of Deciduous Fruit Plants
EFFECT OF PH AND SOIL CD CONCENTRATION ON CD UPTAKE AND ACCUMULATION BY APPLE TREES (MALUS DOMESTICA BORKH.) CV. FUJI |
| Authors: | G. Cieslinski, G.H. Neilsen, E.J. Hogue |
| Keywords: | DTPA-extractable Cd, Malus domestica, plant tissue Cd |
| Abstract:
One year old apple trees cv. ‘Fuji’ (Malus domestica Borkh.) budded on M.9 rootstock were grown under greenhouse conditions in a Parkhill sandy loam orchard soil with a background concentration of 0.14 mg extractable Cd kg-1 and a initial pH of 5.1. Experimental treatments consisted of all combinations of four soil pH values (4.2; 5.1; 6.5; 7.6) and four soil Cd application rates (0; 15; 30; 60 mg Cd kg-1) applied as cadmium sulphate. Different soil pH values were achieved via applications of appropriate amount of either sulphuric acid or calcium hydroxide. Cd concentration was determined in soil after extraction with DTPA while total Cd in plant material including roots, stems, shoots and leaves was determined via absorption spectrophotometry. Tree growth including stem weight and shoot length and shoot and leaf weight were unaffected by soil Cd applications. Apple tree roots had the highest Cd concentration. Root Cd concentration was decreased by increased soil pH and increased with rate of applied Cd. Cd concentration in roots of trees grown under the lowest soil pH ranged from 7.3 mg kg-1 (control) to 1215.0 mg kg-1 (the highest rate of applied Cd). The highest rate of applied Cd significantly increased Cd concentration in leaf tissues, which ranged from 0.4 mg Cd kg-1 (no Cd soil application) to 1.5 mg Cd kg-1 (soil treated with 60 mg Cd kg-1). However, plants which were grown on soil with the lowest pH had significantly higher leaf Cd concentration than leaves from trees planted in soil with pH above 6. This indicates that soil pH influenced plant Cd uptake and tissue accumulation more than the extractable concentration of this element in soil. | |
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