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Nutrient and toxic element soil concentrations during repeated mineral and compost fertilization treatments in a Mediterranean agricultural soil

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Abstract

Agricultural soils of semi-arid Mediterranean areas are often subjected to depletion of their chemical, physical, and biological properties. In this context, organic fertilization, in addition to providing nutrients for a longer time in respect to mineral fertilization, improves many other characteristics related to soil fertility. Moreover, the combined use of organic and mineral fertilizers may promote a more sustainable crop production. However, a concern on the long-term use of organic fertilizers arises in relation to the possible accumulation of toxic elements in soil and their transfer to human beings. For this reason, a long-term study on nutrient and toxic element total concentrations and availabilities during fertilization treatments was carried out. In particular, mineral NPK fertilized soils, soils amended with biowaste compost, soils amended with biowaste compost plus mineral nitrogen, and unfertilized soils were analyzed for 11 chemical elements. The results highlighted that temporal variations in total and bioavailable concentrations of both nutrients and toxic elements, occurring also in unfertilized soils, are wider than those related to fertilization treatments. Anyway, soil amendments with biowaste compost, alone or in combination with mineral fertilizers, reduce Cu bioavailability but improve K, Fe, Mn, and Zn availabilities, excluding at the same time a long-term accumulation in soil. Total and bioavailable toxic element concentrations (apart from available Cd) do not vary in relation to fertilization treatments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Chimica e Biologia “Adolfo Zambelli”, Università degli Studi di Salerno, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132-84084, Fisciano, SA, Italy

    Daniela Baldantoni, Giovanni Saviello & Anna Alfani

  2. Consiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria (CREA) - Centro di Ricerca in Cerealicoltura e Colture Industriali, Via Torrino, 2, 81100, Caserta, Italy

    Luigi Morra

Authors
  1. Daniela Baldantoni
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  2. Luigi Morra
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  3. Giovanni Saviello
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  4. Anna Alfani
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Correspondence to Daniela Baldantoni.

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Responsible editor: Zhihong Xu

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Baldantoni, D., Morra, L., Saviello, G. et al. Nutrient and toxic element soil concentrations during repeated mineral and compost fertilization treatments in a Mediterranean agricultural soil. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23, 25169–25179 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-016-7748-0

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