Natural Resources Management

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Browsing Natural Resources Management by Subject "Botswana Int'l University of Science and Technollogy"

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    Copper micronutrient fixation kinetics and interactions with soil constituents in semi-arid alkaline soils
    (Taylor & Francis group, 2016-07-07) Udeigwe, Theophilus K.; Eichmann, Madeleine; Eze, Peter N.; Ogendi, George M.; Morris, Molly N.; Riley, Meagan R.
    This study examined the fixation pattern and kinetics of plant-available [diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA)-extractable] copper (Cu), as well as basic soil properties that influence Cu availability in selected semi-arid soils. Soil samples from six different series were used and data obtained from Cu extraction experiments fitted to various kinetic models. Soils were also characterized for a suite of chemical and physical properties. The majority (80%) of the plant-available Cu fixed over the experimental period of 90 d occurred within the first 14 d. The amount of plant-available Cu fixed within the first 14 d tended to be influenced by the combination of organic matter (OM) and pH. The total amount of Cu fixed at the end of the experimental period of 90 d was influenced by pH and a combination of pH and calcium carbonate. The fixation of plant-available Cu over the experimental period was better described by the power function model [R2 = 0.90, Standard Error (SE) = 0.099] but poorly by the other models (R2: 0.58 to 0.59), while reactions within the first 35 d were better described by the second-order model (R2 = 0.98, SE = 0.008), suggesting a different fixation pattern. Findings from this study provide a basis for a more mechanistic approach to evaluating and comparing the fixation of Cu micronutrient compounds in these semi-arid soils for more scientific management decision making.