The effect of bottom sediment supplement on changes of soil properties and on the chemical composition of plants

Abstract

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of bottom sediments on the selected properties of light soil as well as the content of trace elements in tested plants. The bottom sediments collected from the Besko reservoir were added to the soil in an amount of 5%, 10%, 30% and 50% of air-dried sediment, in relation to dry soil mass. The pot experiment was conducted on a light soil, with weak loamy sand grain size composition and slightly acid reaction, which was enriched with a supplement of bottom sediment. The test plant was a maize, Bora c.v. An applied bottom deposit revealed in its composition a considerable content of clay fractions, alkaline reaction and low total heavy metal content. Therefore, it may be applied as an admixture to light soils to improve their productivity. The addition of sediment to light soil resulted in the improvement of acidification in soil indicators: increased soil pH and reduced value of hydrolytic acidity, as well as improved sorption properties. A non-uniform effect of bottom sediment admixture on the content of trace elements in maize was determined. The sediment added to the soil increased the content of copper, nickel, chromium and, decreased the contents of zinc and cadmium in shoots. We did not find any excess of the permissible content of metals in plants used as animals forage in the maize biomass.