Cadmium and Nutrient Heavy Metals Uptake by Rice, Barley, and Spinach as Affected by Four Ammonium Salts

ABSTRACT

This experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of ammonium salts on the uptake of cadmium (Cd) and nutritional heavy metals (copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), and iron (Fe)) by rice, barley, and spinach. These plants were grown in Cd, Cu, and Zn contaminated entisol (ES) or andisol (AS). The following ammonium salts were used: ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃), ammonium sulfate ((NH₄)₂SO₄), ammonium chloride (NH₄Cl), and ammonium dihydrogen phosphate (NH₄H₂PO₄). In ES, the Cd concentrations in three plant shoots were higher with NH₄Cl than with the other salts. The concentrations of Cd in soil solutions collected from ES were higher with NH₄Cl. Thus, the increase of Cd uptake by three plants with NH₄Cl treatment would be caused by the increased concentration of Cd in the soil solution. In contrast, in AS, the concentrations of the heavy metals in the shoots of all plants were not different among NH₄ applications, with one exception, the Mn concentration in rice increased with NH₄Cl in both ES and AS.

Keywords::

• andisol
• barley
• Cd
• Cl
• entisol
• Mn
• NH₄Cl
• rice
• soil solution
• spinach

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This study was partly supported by the Global Environment Research Program Budget of the Environment Agency of Japan, and by TOKYO OHKA foundation for the promotion of science and technology.