Reactions of copper with soil affecting its availability to plants. I. Effect of soil type and time

Abstract

The effect of moist incubation on the availability of applied copper to wheat was examined in a range of Western Australian soils. Incubating soil with copper reduced its availability relative to freshly applied copper by up to 70%. The availability of copper to wheat plants decreased with increasing time of incubation up to 120 days. The extent of the decline in availability differed among soils. The difference did not appear to be specifically related to any one of the following soil properties-pH, organic carbon content, clay content, free sesquioxide content and levels of total and extractable copper.