Effect of bottom ash and soil contamination with cadmium on the chemical composition of maize

The experiment concerning the effect of furnace waste on the chemical composition of maize was conducted under conditions of a three-year pot experiment. The arable soil was amended with bottom ash in the amount of 23.33 g ∙ pot-1 as well as with increasing doses of cadmium (between 3 and 15 mg ∙ kg-1 soil d.m.). Introduction of ash and cadmium in the amount from 3 to 5 mg ∙ kg-1 d.m. to the soil had a significant effect on the increase of the yield of above-ground parts and roots of maize. The application of cadmium in doses from 7 to 15 mg ∙ kg-1 caused a considerable reduction in the yield of the tested plant. It was shown that the applied furnace ash influenced the decrease in the yielding of maize. Introduction of furnace ash to cadmium contaminated soil significantly influenced the increase in the content of Na, K, Mg, Ca and Si in maize biomass and the decrease in the content of P in maize. Among the studied elements, K was translocated from the roots to the above-ground parts most efficiently, and Na and Si – least efficiently, the evidence of which are the values of the translocation factor for these elements. The research shows that ash in cadmium contaminated soil influenced immobilization of phosphorus, and thereby limited the phytoavailability of this element. It was established that the above-ground parts took up more K, Mg, Ca, P, Si with the yield while and maize roots took up more Na. The lowest uptake of the studied metals by maize was observed in the treatment where only furnace ash was applied.