Abstract
A three-year field study, conducted on two Orthic Black Chernozemic soils, investigated the effects of application of N, P and KCl fertilizers on grain yield and Cd concentration of two cultivars of malting barley (Hordeum vulgare). Soil levels of N and P were good predictors of the likelihood of a yield response to fertilizer applications, while increases in yield with potassium chloride (KCl) application occurred in spite of high levels of soil K. Additions of ammonium nitrate increased Cd concentration in malting barley when soil nitrate levels were low, with increased Cd concentrations in the grain generally being associated with increasing crop yields. Applications of monoammonium phosphate or KCl tended to increase concentrations of Cd in malting barley, with the significance of the effect varying from year to year. Response of Cd concentration in the grain to P and KCl application was not related to levels of these nutrients in the soil. As the N and K fertilizer used in the study did not contain significant quantities of Cd, the increase in Cd concentration in the grain with fertilizer application was not solely a result of Cd addition as a fertilizer contaminant. The fertilizer salts may increase Cd concentration in the soil solution, increasing availability for crop uptake. Increased crop yield associated with N application may also increase Cd accumulation through increased root interception and enhanced mass flow.
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Grant, C.A., Bailey, L.D. & Therrien, M.C. The effect of N, P and KCl fertilizers on grain yield and Cd concentration of malting barley. Fertilizer Research 45, 153–161 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00790665
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00790665