Effects of nickel and cadmium contaminated soils on nutrient composition of corn plants

Rubicon sand from Muskegon County, Michigan was treated with NiCl/sub 2/ and CdCl/sub 2/ and cropped with corn. The nutrient status of the soil was determined before and after cropping by chemical extractions and the plant tissue was analyzed for several metals. Nickel and Cd were applied in equal amounts of milliequivalents (meq) per 100 g soil. Treatments ranging from 0.05 to 1.00 meq metal/100 g soil were replicated three times. A control set was included. The soil was limed to a pH of 6.8. The corn was harvested five weeks after planting. The dried, ground corn plant tissue was subjected to a nitric-perchloric acid digestion and analyzed for Cd, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni and Zn by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The soil metal levels after cropping were determined by extractions with 0.1 N HCl, 1 N NH/sub 4/O Ac or 0.005 M DTPA. The Cd-treated soils retarded growth more than Ni-treated soils indicating a greater toxicity due to Cd than to Ni for corn. Likewise Cd was taken up by corn to a greater extent than was Ni. 19 references, 7 tables.