Phosphatic fertilizers as a source of heavy metals in protected cultivation

In order to quantify the uptake by lettuce plants (Lactuca sativa L.) of heavy metals contained in the phosphate fertilizers and to evaluate their residual bioavailability in the growth substrate a greenhouse experiment was carried out. The superphosphate added to the soil contained varying amounts of heavy metals, particularly Cd, Cr and Zn which accumulated in the soil and increased the amounts available for plant uptake. The accumulation of metals observed in the plant tissues did not have physiological effects on lettuce and did not affect negatively the growth of the plants. The heavy metal speciation in soil indicated that metals extractable by EDTA increased by increasing the phosphorus added. These amounts of metals, adsorbed or complexed in the soil after harvest, represent in protected environments a potentially bioavailable species for the following cultivations. © 1990, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.