Copper Availability in an Acidic and Limed Zeolite-Amended Soil

Abstract

In acidic soils, copper (Cu) availability may be high because of Cu impurities of various agricultural additives. This research was aimed at assessing liming and zeolite application as availability reduction methods. In a soil with pH 3.8, lime was added at 6.6 Mg ha(-1), and zeolite was added at 3.3% and 10% in a 100-day pot trial with ryegrass. On day 50 zeolite was more effective in reducing Cu availability [as expressed by diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) soil extractions and plant concentration measurements] than liming. On day 100, Cu levels were further reduced in both treatments, indicating the effectiveness of both zeolite and liming over the study period to retain Cu. Zeolite alone reduced Cu concentration in plants to 26%, liming alone reduced it by 21%, and the combination of the two reduced it by 43%. The orders in the DTPA extractions and the soil-to-plant Cu transfer coefficients were similar.