Distribution of chromium, cadmium, nickel and lead in agricultural soils collected from Kazanli-Mersin, Turkey

This study reports total levels of chromium, cadmium, nickel and lead in the agricultural land adjacent a factory producing chromate compounds in Kazanli-Mersin. Surface soil samples were collected from fields around the factory as well as from fields farther away to measure contamination due to aerial transportation and deposition of dust produced in the industrial process. Heavy metals in soil were extracted using wet digestion, and concentrations were measured by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The concentrations were compared with Turkish maximum allowable concentration values. The metal concentrations averaged 80, 0.14, 228 and 43 mg kg-1 for chromium, cadmium, nickel and lead, respectively. Soil samples contaminated with chromium were mainly found 500-2000 m from the factory and decreased with increasing distance from the factory. Elevated chromium and nickel concentrations were determined in the soils around the factory, especially to the northwest (prevailing wind) and west. Lead concentrations exceeded the limit in only roadside soils (4000 and 5000 m to the west), but tended to increase in the vicinity of industrial activity (especially in the west, the northwest and the north). The cadmium concentration did not exceed the limit and was within the normal range for soils. Copyright © 2005 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd

The effect of rye genetic information on zinc, copper, manganese and iron concentration of wheat shoots in zinc deficient soil

Experiments were conducted to study the genetic variability of Zn, Fe, Mn and Cu concentration in the shoot of wheat and other cereals. Cultivars of rye showed higher Zn efficiency than the wheats. There was a considerable variability for the four elements between rye and wheat varieties. By utilisation of disomic wheat-rye addition lines it could be demonstrated that the rye chromosomes 2R and 7R may improve the Mn and Fe concentrations of wheat, chromosome 1R the Zn and 5R the Cu, respectively. Even in a particular 4B/5R wheat-rye translocation line the Zn, Fe and Mn concentrations were significantly modified from 5.8 to 6.7, 92 to 171 and 123 to 236 µg/g DW, respectively. Both wheat and rye positively respond to Zn supply in Zn concentration of shoots, although the effect in rye is less pronounced. The average increases in Zn concentration in wheat and rye reached 851 % and 689 %, respectively, and correlated with a subsequent decrease of Cu>Fe>Mn. Among the wheats there were remarkable differences in the uptake of Zn additionally applied. The English variety 'Avalon' showed the best Zn utilisation

Differential response of rye, triticale, bread and durum wheats to zinc deficiency in calcareous soils

Field and greenhouse experiments were carried out to study the response of rye (Secale cereale L. cv. Aslim), triticale (x Triticosecale Wittmark. cv. Presto), two bread wheats (Triticum aestivum L. cvs. Bezostaja-1 and Atay-85) and two durum wheats (Triticum durum L. cvs. Kunduru-1149 and C- 1252) to zinc (Zn) deficiency and Zn fertilization in severely Zn-deficient calcareus soils (DTPA-Zn=0.09 mg kg-1 soil). The first visible symptom of Zn deficiency was a reduction in shoot elongation followed by the appearance of whitish-brown necrotic patches on the leaf blades. These symptoms were either absent or only slight in rye and triticale, but occurred more rapidly and severely in wheats, particularly in durum wheats. The same was true for the decrease in shoot dry matter production and grain yield. For example, in field experiments at the milk stage, decreases in shoot dry matter production due to Zn deficiency were absent in rye, and were on average 5% in triticale, 34% in bread wheats and 70%, in durum wheats. Zinc fertilization had no effect on grain yield in rye but enhanced grain yield of the other cereals. Zinc efficiency of cereals, expressed as the ratio of yield (shoot dry matter or grain) produced under Zn deficiency compared to Zn fertilization were, on average, 99% for rye, 74% for triticale, 59% for bread wheats and 25% for durum wheats. These distinct differences among and within the cereal species in susceptibility to Zn deficiency were closely related to the total amount (content) of Zn per shoot, but not with the Zn concentrations in shoot dry matter. For example, the most Zn-efficient rye and the Zn-inefficient durum wheat cultivar C-1252 did not differ in shoot Zn concentration under Zn deficiency, but the total amount of Zn per whole shoot was approximately 6-fold higher in rye than the durum wheat. When Zn was applied, rye and triticale accumulated markedly more Zn both per whole shoot and per unit shoot dry matter in comparison to wheats. The results demonstrate an exceptionally high Zn efficiency of rye and show that among the cereals studied Zn efficiency declines in the order rye>triticale>bread wheat>durum wheat. The differences in expression of Zn efficiency are possibly related to a greater capacity of efficient genotypes to acquire Zn from the soil compared to inefficient genotypes.This study was supported by NATO’s Scientific Affairs Division in the framework of the Science for Stability Programme and in part by TÜBI_TAK (The Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey). We wish to thank Professors H Marschner, University of Hohen-heim, Stuttgart, Germany and J Gressel, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel for their valuable suggestions and corrections of the English text