TITLE:
The Transfer of Cu, Zn, Mn and Fe between Soils and Allium Plants (Garlic and Onion), and Tomato in the Southwest of the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
AUTHORS:
María del Pilar Moralejo, Silvia Graciela Acebal
KEYWORDS:
Micronutrients; Soil-Plant Transfer; Garlic (Allium sativum L.); Onion (Allium cepa L.); Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.); Extractions
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Plant Sciences,
Vol.5 No.4,
February
26,
2014
ABSTRACT:
Chemical extraction methods are generally used to
evaluate trace element concentrations in soils. The adequacy of these soil
tests is commonly assessed by comparing the extraction results with the metal
contents in the plants. In this study, soil and leaf samples were collected in
the southwest area of the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Garlic (Allium
sativum L.), onion (Allium cepa L.) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) are species of great regional
economic importance. These crops need good mineral nutrition for optimum growth
and sustainable production. Cu,
Zn, Mn and Fe micronutrient uptake by plants was analyzed together with the
trace element contents in the soil in which those plants were grown. A single
EDTA-extraction procedure was performed to determine soil micronutrients. The
amount of extractable-trace elements increased as the concentration of the
chelating agent EDTA increased. The range of total element content in soil was:
15.68-31.5 mg·kg-1 for Cu, 75.0-386.3 mg·kg-1 for Zn, 542.5 -1686 mg·kg-1 for Mn and 28,325-32,675 mg·kg-1 for Fe. Micronutrient
contents in mature leaf tissue were determined by the acid digestion method.
Total and available micronutrient content in soil as well as total content in
leaves were measured by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS). Total micronutrient
content and the available extractable-fraction in soils were below the critical
values for plant growth. This was in agreement with the amount of
micronutrients present in the leaf tissue. A strong relationship between the
extraction data and the soil-plant transfer coefficients suggested an
appropriate exchange of trace elements from soils to garlic, onion and tomato
plants.