HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by McLaughlin, M. J. Articles by Smart, M. K. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by McLaughlin, M. J. Articles by Smart, M. K. Agricola Articles by McLaughlin, M. J. Articles by Smart, M. K.

Cadmium in Australian Potato Tubers and Soils

CSIRO Division of Soils/CRC for Soil and Land Management, PMB 2, Glen Osmond, South Australia 5064.
South Australian Research and Development Institute, Plant Research Centre, GPO Box 397, Adelaide, South Australia 5064.
Queensland Department of Primary Industries, Meiers Road, Indooropilly, Queensland 4068.
Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries Tasmania, Mt Pleasant Laboratories, P.O. Box 46, Kings Meadows, Tasmania 7249.
Victorian Department of Agriculture, La Trobe University, Plenty Road, Bundoora, Victoria 3083.
West Australian Department of Agriculture, 3 Baron Hay Court, South Perth, West Australia 6151.
NSW Agriculture, Biological and Chemical Research Institute, PMB 10, Rydalmere, NSW 2116.

^* Corresponding author (mike.mclaughlin{at}adl.soils.csiro.au).

ABSTRACT

Cadmium (Cd) has been identified as a potential contaminant in foods posing health risks to humans and, in Australia, potatoes (Solanum tuberosum L.) have been identified as contributing a large proportion of the average dietary Cd intake. To assess the concentrations of Cd in Australian potatoes and soil factors likely to lead to high Cd concentrations, commercial crops and soils were sampled at 352 sites throughout potato production areas in Australia. Across all states, fresh weight (FW) tuber Cd concentrations ranged from 0.004 to 0.232 mg kg^–1 with an overall mean value of 0.041 and a median of 0.033 mg kg^–1 (FW). Approximately 92 samples out of 359 (25.6%) exceeded the current maximum permitted concentration (MPC) of 0.05 mg kg^–1 (FW) and 18 (5.0%) exceeded 0.1 mg kg^–1 (FW). Concentrations of Cd (EDTA-extractable) in topsoils ranged from 0.01 to 0.59 mg kg^–1 with mean and median values of 0.14 and 0.10 mg kg^–1, respectively. There was no relationship between Cd concentrations in soil and tubers. Stepwise forward multiple regression analysis of the data indicated that Cl and Zn concentrations in the topsoil, soil pH, and potato cultivar accounted for 57% of the variation in tuber Cd concentrations, with Cl being the dominant factor. Comparison of soil-plant transfer coefficients (TCs) for Cd with limited international data sets suggests that TCs for Australian soils used for potato production are relatively high.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. Weggler, M. J. McLaughlin, and R. D. Graham Effect of Chloride in Soil Solution on the Plant Availability of Biosolid-Borne Cadmium J. Environ. Qual., March 1, 2004; 33(2): 496 - 504. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. H. Chien, G. Carmona, L. I. Prochnow, and E. R. Austin Cadmium Availability from Granulated and Bulk-Blended Phosphate-Potassium Fertilizers J. Environ. Qual., September 1, 2003; 32(5): 1911 - 1914. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]