A comparison of cadmium and zinc accumulation by four cultivars of barley grown in sludge-amended soils

• Published in: Journal of environmental quality Vol. 11; no. 3; pp. 409 - 412
• Main Authors: Chang, A.C, Page, A.L, Foster, K.W, Jones, T.E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America 01.07.1982
• Subjects: heavy metals; land disposal
• ISSN: 0047-2425; 1537-2537
• DOI: 10.2134/jeq1982.00472425001100030018x

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to compare the plant‐tissue accumulation of Cd and Zn by four cultivars of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) grown on three soils amended with 20 and 100 t/ha dried Imhoff tank sludges. Results indicated that metal uptakes by four cultivars of barley (Barsoy, Briggs, Florida 103, and Larker) were not significantly different when they were grown on both sludge‐treated and non‐sludge‐treated (control) soils. The Cd and Zn concentrations of the plant tissue from sludge‐treated soils, however, were significantly influenced by the sludge application and the soil type. For four cultivars of barley grown on the Ramona sandy loam soil, the Cd content of grain averaged < 0.04 (< 0.04–0.03) µg/g at the control and increased to 0.38 (0.19–0.53) µg/g at the 100‐t/ha sludge treatment. Under the sameconditions, the average Zn concentrations of barley grain were 41, 67, and 92 µg/g for the control, 20‐t/ha, and 100‐t/ha treatments, respectively. Both soil texture and pH influenced Cd and Zn contents of barley. Crops grown on the Domino loam soil (fine, mixed, thermic Xerollic Calciorthid) accumulated the least amounts of Cd and Zn. At heavy sludge applications, higher levels of plant‐tissue Cd and Zn were often found in barley grown on soils of coarser texture (Ramona sandy loam [fine, mixed, thermic Typic Haploxeralf] and Greenfield sandy loam [coarse, mixed, thermic Typic Haploxeralf]) and lower pH (Ramona sandy loam, pH = 6.0).