Abstract
Cadmium (Cd) has accumulated in many agricultural soils in Australia due to fertilization with phosphatic fertilizers that contained Cd as an impurity. Nine field and seven glasshouse experiments using light-textured soils were conducted to investigate the effect of current-season applications of calcitic lime on i) soil pHw, ii) tuber yield, and iii) Cd accumulation in tubers of a range of processing (Russet Burbank, Atlantic, Shepody and Kennebec) and fresh market (Crystal, Pontiac and Desiree) potato cultivars.
Liming increased soil pH values by up to 2 units. Yields of potato tubers were generally unaffected by liming. Under glasshouse conditions, significant reductions in tuber Cd concentrations were found after liming of soils. In contrast, in the field, application of calcitic lime at rates up to 20 t ha−1 had either no effect or significantly (p<0.05) increased tuber Cd concentrations. Concentrations of Cd in tubers were closely correlated (R2=0.74,p<0.001) with concentrations of chloride (Cl). The lack of any beneficial effect of lime application in reducing tuber Cd concentrations under field conditions is attributed to a combination of ineffective mixing of lime throughout the whole root zone, inadequate time of reaction of lime with soil, competitive desorption of Cd2+ by Ca2+ and low soil moisture inhibiting lime dissolution under field conditions. Further work is required to resolve which mechanisms are most important.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alloway BJ (1990) Cadmium. pp 100–124 In: Heavy Metals in Soils, Alloway BJ (ed). London: Blackie
Andersson A & Nilsson KO (1974) Influence of lime and soil pH on Cd availability to plants. Ambio 3: 198–200
Andersson A & Siman G (1991) Levels of cadmium and some other trace elements in soils and crops as influenced by lime and fertilizer level. Acta Agric Scand 41: 3–11
Anon (1992a) Victorian produce monitoring: Results of residue testing 1991–1992 Victorian Department of Food and Agriculture Research Report Series No 105 (September 1992)
Anon (1992b) Report on the national residue survey, 1989–1990 Results. Bureau of Rural Resources, Australian Government Printing Office, Canberra
Anon (1992c) Cadmium in Western Australian potatoes. Chemistry Centre (WA)/West Australian Department of Agriculture/Health department of Western Australia, Perth
APHA (1985) Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater. 16th ed. American Public Health Association, Washington DC
Boekhold AE, Temminghoff EJM & van der Zee SEATM (1993). Influence of electrolyte composition and pH on cadmium sorption by an acid soil. J Soil Sci 44: 85–96
Bolton J (1977) Liming effects and response of potatoes and oats to phosphorus, potassium and magnesium fertilizers. J of Agric Sci, Cambridge 89, 87–93
Bromfield SM, Cumming RW, David DJ & Williams CH (1987) Long-term effects of incorporated lime and topdressed lime on the pH on the surface and subsurface of pasture soils. Aust J Exp Agric 27: 533–538
CAST (1976) Application of sewage sludge to cropland: appraisal of potential hazards of the heavy metals to plants and animals. Report No 64, Council for Agricultural Science and Technology. CAST: Ames Iowa
CAST (1980) Effects of sewage sludge on the cadmium and zinc content of crops. Report No 83, Council for Agricultural Science and Technology. CAST: Ames, Iowa
Chaney RL & Hornick SB (1977) Accumulation and effects of cadmium on crops. pp 125–140 In: Cadmium 77. Edited Proceedings of the First International Cadmium Conference, San Francisco Metals Bulletin: London
Christensen TH (1984) Cadmium soil sorption at low concentrations: I. Effect of time, cadmium load, pH and calcium. Water, Air and Soil Poll 21: 105–114
Clayton, PM & Tiller KG (1979) A chemical method for the determination of heavy metal content of soils in environmental studies. CSIRO Australia Division of Soils Technical Paper No 41
Colwell JD (1963) The estimation of the phosphorus fertilizer requirements of wheat in southern New South Wales by soil analysis. Aust J of Exp Agric and Animal Husb 3: 100–107
deVries MPC & Tiller KG (1978) Sewage sludge as a soils amendment, with special reference to Cd, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn — comparison of results from experiments conducted inside and outside a glasshouse. Environ Pollut 16: 231–240
Doyle JJ & MacLean AA (1960) Relationships between Ca:K ratio, pH and the prevalence of potato scab. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 40: 616–9
Garcia-Miragaya J & Page AL (1976) Influence of ionic strength and inorganic complex formation on sorption of trace amounts of cadmium by montmorillonite. Soil Sci Soc Am J 40: 658–663
Gee GW & Bauder JW (1986) Particle-size analysis. p 383–411. In: Methods of Soil Analysis. Part I. Physical and mineralogical methods. Klute A (ed) Agronomy No. 9, American Society of Agronomy-Soil Science Society of America, Madison, Wisc
Gorlach E & Gambus F (1991) The effect of liming, adding peat, and phosphorus fertilization on the uptake of heavy metals by plants. Polish J Soil Sci 24: 199–204
Gregory PJ & Simmond LP (1992) Water relations and growth of potatoes. In: Harris PM (ed) The Potato Crop, pp 214–246. Chapman & Hall, London, UK
Harris PM (1992) Mineral Nutrition. In: Harris PM (ed) The Potato Crop, pp 162–213. Chapman & Hall, London UK
Hortenstine CC & Webber LR (1981) Growth and cadmium uptake of spinach and corn in an acid Typic Hapludalf as affected by cadmium, peat and lime additions. Soil Crop Sci Soc Flor Proc 40: 40–44
Hossner LR & Doll EC (1970) Magnesium fertilisation of potatoes as related to liming and potassium. Soil Sci Soc of Am, Proc 34, 772–774
Huber DM (1990) Fertilizers and soil-borne diseases. Soil Use and Management 6: 168–173
Jaakkola A (1977) Effect of fertilizers, lime and cadmium added to soil on the cadmium content of spring wheat. J Sci Agric Soc Finland 49: 406–414
Jackson TL, Johnson MJ, James S, & Sullivan, D (1982) A new view of potassium chloride fertilization of potatoes. Better Crops with Plant Food 66, 6–9
Lee CR, & MacDonald ML (1977) Influence of soil amendments on potato growth, mineral nutrition, and tuber yield and quality on very strongly acid soils. Soil Sci Soc of Am J 41, 573–7
Maier NA, Heap M, McLaughlin MJ, Butt M, & Smart MK (1995) Development of crop management strategies for improved productivity and quality of potatoes grown on highly acid soils. HRDC Termination Report, Project PT 107
McLaughlin MJ, Palmer LT, Tiller KG, Beech TA & Smart MK (1994) Soil salinity causes elevated cadmium concentrations in field-grown potato tubers. J of Environ Qual 23: 1013–1028
McLaughlin MJ, the late Tiller KG & Smart MK (1997) Speciation of cadmium in soil solutions of saline/sodic soils and relationship with cadmium concentrations in potato tubers (solanum tuberosum L.) Aust J Soil Res 35: 183–98
MacLean AJ (1976) Cadmium in different plant species and its availability in soils as influenced by organic matter and additions of lime, P, Cd and Zn. Can J Soil Sci 56: 129–138
MacLean AJ, Jasmin JJ, & Halstead RL (1967) Effect of lime on potato crops and on properties of a sphagnum peat soil. Can J of Soil Sci 47: 89–94
Miller JE, Hassett JJ & Koeppe DE (1976). Uptake of cadmium by soybeans as influenced by soil cation exchange capacity, pH, and available phosphorus. J Environ Qual 5: 157–160
Mordvedt JJ, Mays DA & Osborn G (1981) Uptake by wheat of cadmium and other heavy metal contaminants in phosphate fertilizers. J Environ Qual 10: 193–197
Morgan I (1989) Chemical residues in agricultural products: Pilot testing program 1987–88. Victorian Department of Agric and Rural Affairs Res Report Series No 89
Murphy HJ, Carpenter PN & Goven MJ (1967) Effect of differential rates of phosphorus, potassium and lime on yield, specific gravity, and nutrient uptake of the Katahdin and Russet Burbank. Bulletin 652. Maine Agric Exper Station, Uni of Maine
NFA (1993) Australian Food Standards Code 1993, National Food Authority. AGPS: Canberra
Odland TE & Allbritten HG (1950) Soil reaction and calcium supply as factors influencing the yield of potatoes and the occurrence of scab. Agronomy Journal 42: 269–75
Oliver DO, Tiller KG, Conyers MK, Slattery WJ, Merry RH & Alston AM (1994) The effects of soil pH on Cd concentration in wheat grain grown in south-eastern Australia. In: ‘Third International Symposium on Plant-Soil Interactions at Low pH.’ (Eds R.A. Date et al.) (In press)
Page AL & Bingham FT (1973) Cadmium residues in the environment. Residue Rev. 48, 1–44
Pepper IL, Bezdicek DF, Baker AS & Sims JM (1983). Silage corn uptake of sludge-applied zinc and cadmium as affected by soil pH. J Environ Qual 12: 270–275
Rayment GE & Higginson FR (1992) Australian Laboratory Handbook of Soil and Water Chemical Methods. Inkata Press, Melbourne
Soil Survey Staff (1992) Keys to soil taxonomy. Soil Manage. Support Serv Tech Monogr No 19, 5th ed Pocahontas Press, Blacksburg, Virginia
Sparrow LA, Salardini AA & Bishop AC (1993). Field studies of cadmium in potatoes (Solannum tuberosum L.). I. Effects of lime and phosphorus on cv. Russet Burbank. Aust J Agric Res 44: 845–853
Stenhouse F (1991) The 1990 Australian market basket survey report. National Health and Medical Research Council/National Food Authority. Australian Government Printing Service, Canberra
Tiller KG, Oliver DP, McLaughlin MJ, Merry RH & Naidu R (1994) Managing cadmium contamination of agricultural land. In: Advances in Environ Sci ‘Biogeochemistry of Trace Metals 2.’ (In press)
van Lierop W, Tran TS, Banville G & Morissette S (1982) Effect of liming on potato yields as related to soil pH, Al, Mn and Ca. Agron J 74, 1050–5
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Maier, N.A., McLaughlin, M.J., Heap, M. et al. Effect of current-season application of calcitic lime on soil pH, yield and cadmium concentration in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) tubers. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 47, 29–40 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01985716
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01985716