INFLUENCE OF SOIL PARTICLE SIZE ON COPPER AVAILABILITY IN VINEYARD SOILS

This paper deals with the effect of soil particle size on copper availability. Soils from vineyards were observed for soil contamination with copper resulting from the application of copper-based fungicides. Soil samples were taken in 14 locations on the territory of the Vojvodina Province, R. Serbia (50 soil samples at two depths 0-30 and 30-60 cm). The samples were analyzed for pseudototal copper (CuT), available copper (CuEDTA) and particle size distribution. Correlations between soil particle size and the indicator of copper availability CuEDTA/T were calculated and analyzed. The obtained results indicated that the increase in the portion of smallest soil separates, clay and silt, tended to reduce copper availability, whereas the larger separates tended to increase it. The results confirmed that, when assessing the extent of soil contamination with copper, soil mechanical composition should be taken into account as an important factor of copper availability.