LEACHING OF COPPER FROM FOLIAGE

Abstract

When roots of bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) grown in solution culture, were supplied with increasing levels of copper, increases in the quantities of the positively charged forms of copper, calcium and magnesium which were leached from the foliage of such plants were observed. However, subsequent analysis of the results indicated the presence of a large interactive component in the observed variations, and incorporation of this factor showed that the observed increases in leaching were not significantly related to nutrient copper levels. Correlation between foliar copper levels and the quantity of all leached cations was obtained and the quantities of the individual elements leached were also highly correlated. This is good indication of the implication of a single factor as a causal agent for increased cation leaching. The leaching of anionic forms of the above elements was more variable. Anionic forms of all 3 elements were detected and the quantities leached showed similar trends, but due to large variability, only the effect of the treatments on anionic magnesium was significant. The number of samples containing anions was significantly reduced by an increased root copper supply.