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Growth of Rye Grass and Fescue as Affected by Lead‐Cadmium‐Fertilizer Interaction
Author(s) -
Carlson Roger W.,
Rolfe Gary L.
Publication year - 1979
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq1979.00472425000800030017x
Subject(s) - lolium perenne , cadmium , loam , human fertilization , festuca rubra , chemistry , fertilizer , zoology , plant growth , agronomy , festuca arundinacea , horticulture , poaceae , biology , soil water , ecology , organic chemistry
Rye grass ( Lolium perenne L.) and red fescue ( Festuca rubra L.) were grown from seed in fertilized (NPK, 12:6:6) and unfertilized Flanagan silt loam soil treated with Pb (0, 10, 100, 1,000, 5,000, 10,000 µ g g −1 ), Cd (0, 0.1, 1, 10, 50, 100 µ g g −1 ), or a combination of Pb plus Cd at a ratio of 100 Pb:1 Cd. Plant growth and heavy metal content of plants were measured at the end of three, consecutive, 10‐day periods. Growth of Pb‐treated plants did not begin to decrease until treatment concentrations reached 1,000 µ g g −1 Pb or above. Above a treatment concentration of 1,000 µ g g −1 Pb with or without added Cd, growth was reduced sharply in a log‐linear fashion with increasing treatment concentrations. Some reduction in growth of plants treated with Cd alone occurred for fertilized rescue above 10 µ g g −1 Cd but not for rye until treatments above 50 µ g g −1 . No reduction in growth was found for nonfertilized plants treated with Cd alone at the highest soil concentration (100 µ g g −1 ). Reduction in growth for plants treated with Pb + Cd was no lower than that of plants treated with Pb alone. While fertilization stimulated growth at treatment concentrations < 1,000 µ g g −1 , it did not ameliorate the effects of Pb at higher concentrations. Fertilization reduced Pb content and uptake in rye ( P < 0.001) but not in fescue. The Cd content of fertilized plants was greater ( P < 0.05) than that of nonfertilized plants. Cadmium content of plants treated with Pb + Cd was greater ( P < 0.05) than that of plants treated with Cd alone, while there was no difference in Pb content between Pb and Pb + Cd treatments.