Reactions of copper with soil affecting its availability to plants. III. Effect of incubation temperature

Abstract

The effect of soil temperature on the reactions between applied copper and soil constituents was examined in a black calcareous sand from Dongara. The uptake of copper by wheat plants was estimated after the soil had been maintained at field capacity at different soil temperatures (10, 15, 20, 25, 30°C) for 30 and 60 days after copper had been applied. The higher the temperature at which the soil was incubated (over the range 10-30°C), the lower was the amount of copper subsequently taken up by the wheat plants. A non-linear decay function adequately described the effects of the interaction between time and temperature on copper uptake by wheat plants.