Phytoavailability of copper in the presence of recycled water sources
Date
2011
Authors
Kunhikrishnan, A.
Bolan, N.S.
Naidu, R.
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Journal article
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Plant and Soil, 2011; 348(1/2):425-438
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Background and aims Recycled water irrigation provides a reliable source of water supply to farmers and also adds valuable plant nutrients and organic matter to the soil. However, untreated or partially treated wastewater can introduce inorganic and organic contaminants, including heavy metals, into agricultural lands. The objective of this study was to evaluate the transformation of copper (Cu) in soils treated with recycled water sources and its subsequent uptake by plants.Methods The impact of recycled water sources [farmdairy effluent (FDE) and piggery effluent (PE)] on thetransformation and phytoavailability of Cu wasexamined using two soils (Gawler and AdelaideHills) which varied in their pH and organic mattercontent. The soils were spiked with varying levels ofCu (0-500 mg kg-1) in the presence of recycled watersources and MQ-water. The transformation of Cu wasexamined by monitoring the CaCl2 extractable freeCu2+ and pore water metal concentrations. Thephytoavailability of Cu in the presence of recycledwater sources was analyzed using Indian mustard(Brassica juncea var. Varuna) plants.Results The recycled water sources significantlyreduced the CaCl2 extractable and pore water freeCu2+ concentrations in soils, indicating a decrease inthe labile fraction of Cu. The results indicated thatincreasing the level of Cu applied through recycledwater sources and Milli-Q (MQ) water elevated Cuconcentration in plants. However, at the same level ofCu application, plants took up less Cu from recycledwater-amended soils than from MQ-water-amendedsoils. The effect was more pronounced in PE treatedsoils, with a reduction in Cu concentration in the planttissues by 74.8% and 54% in GL soil, and 57.2% and49% in AH soil at 100 and 500 mg kg-1 Cu levelsrespectively, compared to the Cuspiked soils in thepresence of MQ-water.Conclusions The results clearly showed that thepresence of organic carbon in the recycled water wasproved to be effective in reducing Cu phytotoxicity athigh levels of Cu addition, indicating that the metalorganic complexes decreased the bioavailability of Cu to plants.
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Copyright 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.