title: Predicting molybdenum toxicity to higher plants: estimation of toxicity threshold values.
abstract: Four plant species (oilseed rape, Brassica napus L.; red clover, Trifolium pratense L.; ryegrass, Lolium perenne L.; and tomato, Lycopersicon esculentum L.) were tested on ten soils varying widely in soil properties to assess molybdenum (Mo) toxicity. A larger range (66-fold-609-fold) of added Mo concentrations resulting in 50% inhibition of yield (ED50) was found among soils than among plant species (2-fold-38-fold), which illustrated that the soils differed widely in the expression of Mo toxicity. Toxicity thresholds based on soil solution Mo narrowed the variation among soils compared to thresholds based on added Mo concentrations. We conclude that plant bioavailability of Mo in soil depends on Mo solubility, but this alone did not decrease the variability in observed toxicity enough to be used in risk assessment and that other soil properties influencing Mo toxicity to plants need to be considered.
authors.affiliation: Soil Science Department, Centre for Soils and Ecosystems Function, Rothamsted Research, Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ, UK. steve.mcgrath@bbsrc.ac.uk
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: McGrath
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Micó
authors.forename: F J
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Stroud
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fozard
mesh_terms: D029688:Brassica napus / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005544:Forecasting; D008129:Lolium / Q000187:drug effects; D018551:Solanum lycopersicum / Q000187:drug effects; D008982:Molybdenum / Q000633:toxicity*; D010944:Plants / Q000187:drug effects*; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012989:Soil Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D029921:Trifolium / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D012989:Soil Pollutants; D008982:Molybdenum