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CORESTA Meeting, Agronomy/Phytopathology, Cape Town, 2001, A 05

Phosphorus fertilization impact on the yield and heavy metal concentration of tobacco variety KS82

MATSI TH.; STROUTHOPOULOS G.; BARBAYIANNIS N.; TSOTSOLIS N.; LAZARIDOU TH.
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Soil Science Laboratory, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Phosphorus fertilization can contribute to the enrichment of soil with heavy metals, especially Cd, and to increase heavy metals content in tobacco. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the impact of phosphorus fertilization on heavy metals concentration of Greek Oriental Filling tobacco type (var. KS82) and on soil available metals content. In two field experiment, in 1999 and 2000, phosphate fertilizer was applied, at rates equal to 40, 80, 120 and 160 kg P2O5 per hectare, using 4 replications. Tobacco variety KS82 was cultivated with the collection of 3 and 4 primings. Yield and total content of ash, of the nutrients P, Cu, Zn, Fe and Mn and of the metals Pb and Cd were determined in cured tobacco samples for each priming. Soil characteristics, like Olsen-P and DTPA-extractable Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, Pb and Cd were also measured in the beginning and at the end of the experiments. Both soils used were inorganic, acid, loams. Yield, quality and heavy metals content of tobacco remained unaffected upon phosphorus fertilization in both experiments. Olsen-P of the 2nd experimental field was significantly increased at the end of the growing season, whereas that of the 1st was unaffected, probably due to the sufficient initial content of available P. DTPA-extractable Zn, Mn and Cd were significantly increased at the end of both experiments, while Fe and Pb were unaltered.