INFLUENCE OF SOIL MASS AND DIMENSIONS ON ZINC RESPONSE IN CORN (Zea mays)

Abstract

Zn increased shoot dry matter yield of 62-day-old corn grown in the greenhouse on Almasippi loamy fine sand (Gleyed Carbonated Rego Black) containing 0.77 ppm DTPA-extractable Zn whereas corn in the field on the same soil had not responded to Zn. Soil mass or dimensions had little influence upon degree of response to Zn. When no Zn was applied, Zn uptake was not influenced by soil mass, suggesting that the amount of plant-available soil Zn did not increase with increasing soil mass. Results from this study provided little evidence that restricted soil mass, limiting the amount of available soil Zn, was the primary cause of greater response to Zn fertilization in pot as compared to field experiments. Key words: Corn, soil-mass, zinc