Effects of Phosphorus and Iron on the Phytotoxicity of Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) in Arsenic-contaminated Soil

Abstract

We examined the effect of simultaneous application of phosphorus (P) and iron (Fe) on the phytotoxicity of lettuce in arsenic (As) contaminated soil using response surface methodology (RSM). To stabilize As and supply nutrient into soil, Fe and P were treated, respectively. Water soluble As and P was decreased by Fe application but increased by P application. Through phytotoxicity test, the result showed that only the addition of P affected lettuce root elongation even though both P and Fe were added. The correlation coefficients between root elongation and other indices indicated that the As content in the roots seemed to be the main reason that root growth was impeded. We could verify that the former result was not a passing phenomenon and Fe was necessarily needed to protect secondary pollution by exclusive usage of P fertilizer.