The Calcium and Phosphorus Content of Certain Vegetables Grown Under Known Conditions of Fertilization

Abstract

A study has been made of the effect of various fertilizers upon the moisture, ash, calcium and phosphorus content of sweet corn, string beans, beets and cabbage grown on the same type of soil during the same season. Corn and beans grown on fertilized plats contain less calcium than those grown on an unfertilized plat while all vegetables examined contained more phosphorus when given fertilizer treatment. We recognize the fact that this conclusion must be limited to apply to this particular soil and the fertilizers used. It is suggested that calcium may be replaced by another base, possibly potassium, supplied by the fertilizer. Since the calcium and phosphorus contents of the vegetables vary widely and frequently in opposite directions, Ca:P ratios fluctuate between rather wide limits. The importance of chemical analyses of food in metabolism studies is stressed because foodstuffs grown on different soil types under varying conditions of fertilization, culture, and climatic conditions may exhibit marked differences in composition.