Effects of soil texture on trace metal concentrations and geochemical fractions in the soil of apple orchards (Çanakkale, NW Turkey)

ABSTRACT

The effects of soil texture on trace metal concentrations and geochemical fractions in an apple orchard soils were investigated. For this purpose, soil samples were taken from the apple orchards with two different soil textures located on the same geomorphological unit in Çanakkale, Turkey. A wet digestion was used to determine total trace metal concentrations, and a sequential extraction method was used to determine geochemical fractions of the metals. According to average total concentrations of all metals, except Pb, were found to be significantly higher (p < 0.05) in clay soils. Sequential extraction analysis showed that potential mobile fractions were ordered as Cd (68.8%) > Pb (52.4%) > Cu (42.0%) > Zn (34.8%) > Ni (32.3%) > Cr (22.9%) in clay soils and as Cd (61.6%) > Pb (51.6%) > Cu (40.2%) > Zn (30.7%) > Ni (30.8%) > Cr (24.9%) in loamy soils. The results revealed that all metals, except Pb, in exchangeable/acid soluble, oxidizable and, potential mobile fractions were found to be significantly higher in clay soils (p < 0.05). It was figured out that clay contents played an effective role in total concentrations of metals and their distribution in geochemical fractions.

KEYWORDS:

• Trace metal
• sequential extraction
• fractionation
• texture
• clay soil

Acknowledgements

The second author would like to acknowledge the support provided by Turkish council of higher education (YÖK 100/2000) Doctoral Fellowship Program. The authors thank the editors and anonymous reviewers, whose critical comments and suggestions greatly helped to improve the quality of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).