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Monitoring and assessment of soil and forage molybdenum near an atmospheric source

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Abstract

Forage and soil molybdenum (Mo) were measured in the vicinity of a Mo processing plant in southwestern Pennsylvania, USA. Molybdenum concentrations in red clover plants (Trifolium pratense L.), measured at 23 sites, ranged from 1.1 to 56.6 mg kg−1. Fourteen of the 23 sites sampled had red clover plants with Mo concentrations over the threshold value of 6 mg kg−1. Red clover Cu:Mo concentration ratios were below the recommended ratio of 4 in 19 of the sites. The low Cu:Mo values, along with high plant Mo concentrations, indicates that there is a potential risk of molybdenosis in ruminant animals in this area. Acid digested (sorbed) soil Mo concentrations, measured at 30 sites, ranged from 7.0 (background level) to 131 mg kg−1. Using the Baker Soil Test (BST) extract, molybdenum soil concentrations ranged from 0.01 to 3.99 mg kg−1. Regression equations were developed to predict plant uptake of soil Mo based on the red clover plant, soil extracts and soil pH data. The R-squared values for predicting plant uptake were 81.9% for the BST extract and 81.6% for the acid digestion extract plus soil pH. Based on the above results, a protocol has been implemented for assessing the risk of high soil Mo near this Mo processing plant.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Soil and Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, Department of Agronomy, The Pennsylvania State University, 104 Research Building A, 16802, University Park, PA, USA

    Michael R. Murray & Dale E. Baker

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  1. Michael R. Murray
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  2. Dale E. Baker
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Murray, M.R., Baker, D.E. Monitoring and assessment of soil and forage molybdenum near an atmospheric source. Environ Monit Assess 15, 25–33 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00454746

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00454746

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