Abstract

ARIZMENDI-GALICIA, Nicolás et al. Leaching of Chelated Iron in Calcareous Soils. Terra Latinoam [online]. 2011, vol.29, n.3, pp.231-237. ISSN 2395-8030.

The availability of iron to crops established in calcareous soils is generally low. This condition produces deficiency of iron in the plants and reduction of yield and quality of fruits. One of the forms more efficient to correct this deficiency is the application of iron as chelate Fe-EDDHA (ferric ethylenediamine-di-o-hydroxyphenylacetate) to soil. However, the chelated iron has high leaching and it could move to subsoil, contaminating the underground water. The rate of leaching of applied iron as chelate Fe-EDDHA and FeSO4 was evaluated, in the central zone of Tamaulipas, Mexico. Soil columns of 10, 20 and 30 cm height of two sites were assayed; calcareous and non calcareous soils, using two sources of iron, Fe-EDDHA and FeSO4, applied in dissolution at 100 mg Fe L-1 concentration on surface of the columns. The applied iron in form of chelate Fe-EDDHA presented high leaching in both soils, but the descendent movement was major in the non calcareous soil. When the element was applied as FeSO4 solution, did not occur leaching of iron.

Keywords : chelate; carbonate; movement; Fe-EDDHA.