Impact of Different Organic Materials on Dry Matter Yield and Concentration of Lead in Maize (Zea mays)

A pot experiment was conducted to study the effect of different organic materials and Pb on the yield, concetnration of Pb in maize plants and DTPA-extractable Pb in the post-harvested soils. Results indicated that beneficial effect of Pb on the growh of maize was observed at its lower (25 mg kg⁻¹) level of application. However further increase in supply of Pb significantly reduced the dry matter of the crop. Application of organic material improved the yield of maize in Pb-contaminated soil. The concentration of Pb in plants increased significantly with increasing levels of Pb in soil. However, application of organic carbon reduced the Pb concentration in maize tissue. The DTPA-extractable Pb increased significantly and consistently with graded levels of Pb in post-harvest soil samples. The addition of organic carbon reduced the extractable Pb in soil amended with different organic materials.