Bulgarian Journal of Agricultural Science, 16 (No 6) 2010, 754-768

Agricultural Academy

THE COMPARISON STUDY OF SOME SELECTED HEAVY METALS IN THE IRRIGATED AND NON-IRRIGATED AGRICULTURAL SOILS

C. AYDINALP1, G. FULEKY and L. TOLNER2

1. Uludag University, Faculty of Agriculture, Department of Soil Science, Bursa 16059, Turkey

2. Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Szent István University, Gödöllo, Hungary

Abstract

A research was carried out to investigate the status of four micronutirents, iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn), and five other heavy metals cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni) and lead (Pb) in agricultural soils of Bursa plain, Turkey. Soil samples were digested by nitric acid (HNO3)-hydrochloric acid (HCl) for determination of total contents of the nine elements, while DTPA method was used for determination of extractable form of these elements. Total and DTPA extractable element contents were found at the highest concentration in the surface horizons of the irrigated sites. Nevertheless, total and DTPA extractable elements were found moderate to low concentrations in the surface horizons of the non-irrigated sites. Among the soil properties examined, clay content had a good relation with total and DTPA extractable element contents in the topsoil. The obtained results were indicated that irrigated alluvial soils were polluted with heavy metals due to long-term irrigation with the polluted Nilufer River.

Key words:heavy metals, alluvial, irrigated soil, non-irrigated soil, Nilufer River