Abstract
To determine whether the use of phosphate fertilizer resulted in measurable cadmium accumulation in soils and crops harvested, soil and plant samples were collected from some selected treatments of a seventy year-old fertilizer experiment at Møystad, southeast Norway. Soil samples after extraction with Aqua Regia or 1M NH4NO3 and plant samples after digestion were analyzed for Cd. Cadmium balance based on fertilizer and atmospheric inputs and crop removal and leaching losses was worked out. Neither the total nor the available (NH4NO3-extractable) Cd in the soil was significantly affected by Cd added through fertilizer, though a tendency of higher Cd in soils from the plots receiving higher amounts of fertilizer was seen. The same trend was also observed for the Cd concentration in plants. Annual Cd input rates (fertilizer and atmosphere) varied from 1.20 to 2.57 g Cd ha-1 y-1 and the Cd removal (crops and leaching) rates varied from 1.16 to 1.79 g Cd ha-1 y-1. The balance calculations based on the seventy years data indicated Cd accumulation in the soil was <1 g Cd ha-1 y-1, but that increasing the doses of either commercial fertilizer or farm yard manure would likely result in increased accumulation of the element. This may have a negative impact because the available soil Cd content would be increased at a faster rate, resulting in increased plant uptake. Although Cd tended to accumulate as a result of P fertilization, the rate of increase was slow. The annual increase in the total Cd content of fertilized plots varied from 0.04 to 0.12% indicating that it may take from 800 to 2000 years, depending upon the fertilizer input, to accumulate Cd equivalent to that currently present in the soil.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alloway B J (ed) 1990 Heavy Metals in Soils. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York. pp 100–124.
Andersson A 1976 On the influence of manure and fertilizers on the distribution and amounts of plant-available Cd in soils. Swed. J. Agric. Res. 6, 27–36.
Andersson A 1977 Heavy metals in commercial fertilizers, manure and lime. Cadmium balance for cultivated soils. p 16. Lantbrukshögs. medd. A 283, Mark Växtez 100, Uppsala. (In Swedish).
Andersson A and Siman G 1991 Levels of Cd and some other trace elements in soils and crops as influenced by lime and fertilizer level. Acta Agric. Scand. 41, 3–11.
Burug R and Singh BR 1990 Cadmium levels in soils and crops after long-term use of commercial fertilizers. Norw. J. Agric. Sci. 4, 251–260.
Dam Kofoed A and Søndergaard K P 1983 Influence of fertilizer on the cadmium content of soils and crops, Investigations from long term field experiments State Research Station Askov 1894–1981. Tidsskr. Planteavl 87, 23–32 (In Danish).
Dam Kofoed A 1975 Heavy metals, circulation in agriculture.In Tungmetaller, Sirkulasjon i Jordbruket. NJF Seminar, Ladelund Landbruksskole, Denmark. pp 7–23. (In Danish).
Dam Kofoed A, Christiansen B T, Kjellerup V and Larsen K E 1985 Farm yard manure and its utilization. Planteavlsforsøg, Beretning S 1809. pp 1–135. (In Danish).
DeBoo W 1990 Cadmium in agriculture. Toxticol. Environ. Chem. 27, 55–63.
Ekeberg E 1987 Long-term fertilizer trials at Møystad. Aktuel fra SFFL 3, 64–87 (In Norwegian).
Eriksson J E 1990 Effects of nitrogen-containing fertilizers on solubility and plant uptake of cadmium. Water Air Soil Pollut. 49, 355–368.
Hansen J A and Tjell J C 1978 Guidelines and sludge utilization practicies in Scandinavia. Conference on Utilization of Sewadge Sludge on Land. Paper 20, April 10–13, 1978, Keble College, Oxford. p 15.
Hansen J A and Tjell J C 1982 Sludge application to land-Overview of the cadmium problem.In Environmental Effects of Organic and Inorganic Contaminants in Sewage Sludge. Eds. R DDavis, GHucker and P LHermite. pp 91–112. D Reidel Publ. Co., Holland.
He Q B and Singh B R 1993 Plant availability of cadmium in soils I. Extractable cadmium in newly and long-term cultivated soils. Acta Agric. Scand. Sect. B. 43, 134–141.
He Q B and Singh B R 1994 Crop uptake of cadmium from phosphorus fertilizers: I. Yield and cadmium content. Water Air Soil Pollut. 74, 251–265.
Heje K K 1990 Handbook for agriculture. Vol. 98. 400p. (In Norwegian).
Hovmand M F 1983 Cycling of Pb, Cd, Cu, Zn and Ni in Danish agriculture.In Utilization of sewage Sludge on Land: Rates of Application and Long-Term Effects of Metals. pp 166–185. D Reidel Publ. Co., Holland.
Isherman K 1982 Effect of phosphate fertilization on the cadmium content of soil determined on the basis of numerous long-term trials in Western Europe. Landwirtsch. Forsch. Sonderh. 39, 283–301.
Jaakkola A 1977 Effect of fertilizers, lime and cadmium added to soil on the cadmium content of spring wheat. J. Sci. Agric. Soc. Finl. 49, 406–414.
Jensen J 1978 Contents of B, F, Mn, Cu, Cd, Pb and Zn in drainage water. Tidsskr. Planteavl 82, 540–548 (In Danish).
Kongshaug G, Bøckman O C and Kaazstad O 1992 Input of trace elements to soils and plants.In Chemical Climatology and Geomedical Problems. Ed. J Lag. pp 185–216. International Symposium, The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters Oslo, 1992.
Mortvedt J J, Mays D A and Osborne G 1981 Uptake by wheat of cadmium and other heavy metal contaminants in phosphate fertilizers. J. Environ. Qual. 10, 193–197.
Mortvedt J J 1987 Cadmium levels in soils and plants from some long-term soil fertility experiments in the United States of America. J. Environ. Qual. 16, 137–142.
Rothbaum H P, Goguel R L, Johnston A E and Mattingly G E G 1986 Cadmium accumulation in soils from long-continued applications of superphosphate. J. Soil Sci. 37, 99–107.
Singh B R 1990 Uptake of cadmium and fluoride by oat from phosphate fertilizers. Norw. J. Agric. Sci. 4, 239–249.
Singh B R, Myhr K and Steinnes E 1991 Plant uptake of soil and atmospheric Cd in southern and central Norway.In Heavy Metals in the Environment. Ed. J GFarmer. Vol. 2, pp 25–28. CEP Consultants Itd, Edinburgh.
Singh B R 1994 Trace element availability to plants in agricultural soils with special emphasis on fertilizer inputs. Environ. Rev. 2, 133–146.
Soil Survey Staff 1975 Soil Taxonomy, Handbook 754. United States Department of Agriculture, Washington, DC.
Steinnes E 1987 Impact of long-range athmospheric transport of heavy metals to the terrestrial environment in Norway.In Lead, Mercury, Cadmium and Arsenic in the Environment. Eds. T CHutchinson and K MMeema. pp 107–117. SCOPE, John Wiley and Sons Ltd., New York.
State Pollution Control Authority (SFT) 1993 Report on environmental pollutants in Norway. Report Nr. 93: 23. 313p.
Symeonide G and Mc Rae S G 1977 The assessment of plant available cadmium in soils. J. Environ. Qual. 6, 120–123.
VanLoon J C and Lichwa I 1973 A study of the atomic absorption determination of some important heavy metals in fertilizers and domestic sewage and plant sludge. Environ. Lett. 3, 1–8.
Vigerust E and Selmer-Olsen A R 1985 Heavy metal uptake by plants as affected by sewage sludge application. Serie B 2/85. p 58. Department of Soil Fertility and Management, Agricultural University of Norway. (In Norwegian).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Jeng, A.S., Singh, B.R. Cadmium status of soils and plants from a long-term fertility experiment in southeast Norway. Plant Soil 175, 67–74 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02413011
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02413011