Abstract
UDK 631.41:633.15; 633.15:546.48 (497.6)
 Cadmium content in soil is an important factor which determines the content of this heavy metal in plants. However, many other factors including soil pH, content of organic matter, other trace minerals in soil which could reduce or enhance cadmium uptake by roots of plants as well as anthropogenic routes of cadmium contamination (mining, superphosphates and industry) can have an influence on the cadmium concentrations in plant tissue. A three years study was conducted to evaluate cadmium content in green mass of silage maize in certain areas of Central Bosnia region. A multiple linear regression (MLR) model was developed to predict maize tissues cadmium concentration as function of different factors such as soil cadmium content, pH of soil, organic matter in soil as well as phosphorus, potassium, zinc and iron content in soil. The results indicate huge variability of cadmium content in soil (maximum value was more than 3fold greater than the minimum value) and green mass of maize (maximum to minimum ratio greater than 100). Cadmium concentration in all investigated samples of maize was below maximum tolerable levels in ruminant nutrition. Using a stepwise multiple linear regression method, a significant model emerged (F2.14 = 55.193, p<0.001; R2 = 0.887). Significant variables were phosphorus (Beta = 0.813, p<0.001) and potassium (Beta = -0.401, p<0.005) content in soil. Soil pH, organic matter, cadmium, zinc and iron were not significant in this model. Insignificant correlation between soil and plant cadmium content (r=0.374, p=0.07) indicates that the presence of cadmium in the soil may not be the main determinant of its content in plants.
Highlights
Cadmium (Cd) accumulates in plants grown in high-cadmium soils
Atmospheric deposition of cadmium on the surface of soil and plants are recognized as important factor of food chain contamination
Data copied from EU risk assessment report implies that the cadmium atmospheric deposition ranged between 0.15 and 4 g/ha/year for 2002 (EU, 2007)
Summary
Cadmium (Cd) accumulates in plants grown in high-cadmium soils. Natural cadmium levels found in phosphates from sedimentary rocks range from 3 to 100 mgkg-1 depending on their location (Singh, 1994). The amounts of cadmium uptake by plants depends on many factors including soil texture, content of organic matter, pH of soil and the amount of rainfall (Jeng and Singh, 1995). These factors combined determine the ratio of cadmium leaching from soil and its uptake by plants. It seems that the plant genotype can have an influence on the cadmium accumulation in plant tissue (Lehoczky and Kiss, 2006). The aim of this study was to discriminate the most important factors (fertilizer, soil, pH and organic matter) that influence the cadmium content in maize
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