CHANGES IN PLANT NUTRIENT CONTENT OF BARLEY AS A RESULT OF LIME - PHOSPHORUS, MANGANESE, COPPER AND ZINC SUPPLIES ON 3 SWEDISH MINERAL SOILS IN A POT EXPERIMENT

A pot experiment was performed with barley (Hordeum vulgare c.v. Etu) grown on three Swedish mineral soils of different texture. A central c omposite experimental plan with five levels of lime, P, Mn, Cu and Zn amendments was applied. Plant, straw, grain and soil samples were anal ysed for contents of Ca, P, Mn, Cu, Zn and Al. There were close relati ons between the contents of P, Cu and Zn in vegetative parts and the t reatment with the corresponding element. Supply of Mn resulted in incr eased plant uptake of Mn only in the sandy soil, while liming decrease d Mn uptake on all the soils. The relative strong extractants of AL, E DTA and HCl indicated close relations between soil extracted nutrients and the supplies of corresponding elements. The Mg(NO3)(2)-extracted amounts of Mn were not related to Mn supply on the clayey soils, but g ave much closer relation to plant uptake of Mn than EDTA-extracted Mn did. Soil analyses results from the sandy soil showed, generally, clos er relationships to treatment and plant content than corresponding val ues from the two clayey soils. The reasons could be lower original nut rient status and lower CEC, resulting in poor buffer capacity of the s and. The quantity of soluble Al was very low in all three soils, excep t for not limed clayey soils. The yield decrease after liming of the s andy soil and the yield increase after liming the clayey Ostuna soil c ould be caused by disturbed and improved nutrient balance, respectivel y, between certain nutrients in the soil solution.