Possible plant toxicity resulting from high level applications of ZnEDTA

Abstract

Because of the suspected damage from ZnEDTA application to peach trees in a nursery, a number of experiments were undertaken in a glasshouse to gain a better understanding of plant response to high levels of ZnEDTA. At levels of ZnEDTA considered to be high (400 mg Zn/Kg soil or 10^‐3 M in solution), only mild toxicities were observed. Cutting or damaging roots did in some cases result in some increased uptake of zinc and in sate changes in uptake of other nutrients. Bush bean plants low in zinc (16–18 μg/Kg in leaves) did not set fruit.

Notes

On leave from Faculty of Agriculture, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi, Arabia.