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Title: Productivity of clay tailings from phosphate mining: 3. Grain crops. [Zea mays; Helianthus annuus; Sorghum bicolor; Glycine max]

Abstract

A split-fold field experiment was conducted to study forage and grain yield, forage quality, plant nutrient concentrations, changes in soil nutrients, and {sup 226}Ra contents of four grain crops in various rotations. The crop rotations (1) corn (Zea mays L. Jacques 247)-sunflower (Helianthus annuus L. Cargil 205), (2) sunflower-grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L, Moench Northrup King Savanna 5), (3) soybean (Glycine max L. Merr. Williams 80)-grain sorghum, and (4) grain sorghum-soybean (University of Florida V-1) were grown on a dry phosphatic clay with and without a 50-mm surface layer of quartz-sand tailings. Results show that corn and grain sorghum produced highest forage yields and highest grain yields per harvest, respectively. Soybean harvested for forage (Crop 1) contained the highest crude protein and in vitro organic matter digestibility. Concentrations of P, K, Ca, Mg, and Fe in most of the forages were adequate for the diets of beef cattle, while those of Mn, Cu and Zn were low. Mehlich I-extractable soil, Ca, and Mg were considered very high and changed little over the 4-yr production period. Application of 50 mm of sand tailings tended to increase Mehlich I-extractable P, Ca, Mn, Cu, Zn, and Fe. Radium-226 concentration in the forage ofmore » all grain crops averaged 8.5 Bq kg{sup {minus}1}, which was about 17 times higher than that in the grain of the same crops. Concentrations of {sup 226}Ra in the forage and grain were 1.1% and 0.09% of the concentration in clay respectively. These data indicate that phosphatic clays can be a valuable resource for the production of corn and sorghum grain that contain low concentrations of {sup 226}Ra.« less

Authors:
;  [1]; ;  [2]
  1. Univ. of Florida, Ona (United States)
  2. Univ. of Florida, Gainesville (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
5866795
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Journal of Environmental Quality; (United States)
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 20:4; Journal ID: ISSN 0047-2425
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; CROPS; PLANT GROWTH; TAILINGS; RADIOECOLOGY; WASTE PRODUCT UTILIZATION; BIOLOGICAL AVAILABILITY; CLAYS; FIELD TESTS; FLORIDA; GLYCINE HISPIDA; MAIZE; NUTRIENTS; PHOSPHATES; PRODUCTIVITY; RADIUM 226; SORGHUM; SUNFLOWERS; SURFACE MINING; USES; ALKALINE EARTH ISOTOPES; ALPHA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; CARBON 14 DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; CEREALS; DEVELOPED COUNTRIES; ECOLOGY; EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI; FEDERAL REGION IV; GRAMINEAE; GROWTH; HEAVY ION DECAY RADIOISOTOPES; HEAVY NUCLEI; ISOTOPES; LEGUMINOSAE; LILIOPSIDA; MAGNOLIOPHYTA; MAGNOLIOPSIDA; MINING; NORTH AMERICA; NUCLEI; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; PHOSPHORUS COMPOUNDS; PLANTS; RADIOISOTOPES; RADIUM ISOTOPES; SOLID WASTES; TESTING; USA; WASTES; YEARS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES; 540230* - Environment, Terrestrial- Radioactive Materials Monitoring & Transport- (1990-)

Citation Formats

Mislevy, P, Blue, W G, Roessler, C E, and Martin, F G. Productivity of clay tailings from phosphate mining: 3. Grain crops. [Zea mays; Helianthus annuus; Sorghum bicolor; Glycine max]. United States: N. p., Web.
Mislevy, P, Blue, W G, Roessler, C E, & Martin, F G. Productivity of clay tailings from phosphate mining: 3. Grain crops. [Zea mays; Helianthus annuus; Sorghum bicolor; Glycine max]. United States.
Mislevy, P, Blue, W G, Roessler, C E, and Martin, F G. . "Productivity of clay tailings from phosphate mining: 3. Grain crops. [Zea mays; Helianthus annuus; Sorghum bicolor; Glycine max]". United States.
@article{osti_5866795,
title = {Productivity of clay tailings from phosphate mining: 3. Grain crops. [Zea mays; Helianthus annuus; Sorghum bicolor; Glycine max]},
author = {Mislevy, P and Blue, W G and Roessler, C E and Martin, F G},
abstractNote = {A split-fold field experiment was conducted to study forage and grain yield, forage quality, plant nutrient concentrations, changes in soil nutrients, and {sup 226}Ra contents of four grain crops in various rotations. The crop rotations (1) corn (Zea mays L. Jacques 247)-sunflower (Helianthus annuus L. Cargil 205), (2) sunflower-grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L, Moench Northrup King Savanna 5), (3) soybean (Glycine max L. Merr. Williams 80)-grain sorghum, and (4) grain sorghum-soybean (University of Florida V-1) were grown on a dry phosphatic clay with and without a 50-mm surface layer of quartz-sand tailings. Results show that corn and grain sorghum produced highest forage yields and highest grain yields per harvest, respectively. Soybean harvested for forage (Crop 1) contained the highest crude protein and in vitro organic matter digestibility. Concentrations of P, K, Ca, Mg, and Fe in most of the forages were adequate for the diets of beef cattle, while those of Mn, Cu and Zn were low. Mehlich I-extractable soil, Ca, and Mg were considered very high and changed little over the 4-yr production period. Application of 50 mm of sand tailings tended to increase Mehlich I-extractable P, Ca, Mn, Cu, Zn, and Fe. Radium-226 concentration in the forage of all grain crops averaged 8.5 Bq kg{sup {minus}1}, which was about 17 times higher than that in the grain of the same crops. Concentrations of {sup 226}Ra in the forage and grain were 1.1% and 0.09% of the concentration in clay respectively. These data indicate that phosphatic clays can be a valuable resource for the production of corn and sorghum grain that contain low concentrations of {sup 226}Ra.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/5866795}, journal = {Journal of Environmental Quality; (United States)},
issn = {0047-2425},
number = ,
volume = 20:4,
place = {United States},
year = {},
month = {}
}