Distribution of cadmium in selected soil profiles of Saskatchewan, Canada: Speciation and availability
The distribution of Cd with depth, its particulate-bound speciation and availability index were studied in nine typical soil profiles of Saskatchewan, Canada. In the Ap horizons, Cd was predominantly in the metal-organic complex-bound form, accounting for about 38.8%, on average, of the total Cd present in the soils. The carbonate-bound Cd and the metal-organic complex-bound Cd accounted for 33.5 and 12.9%, respectively, on average, of the total Cd present in the B horizons. In the Ck horizons, Cd was predominantly in the carbonate-bound form, accounting for about 70.9%, on average, of the total Cd present in the soils. The M NH4Cl-extractable Cd of the soils, which is a measure of availability index of soil Cd, generally decreased with depth. Statistical treatment of the M NH4Cl-extractable Cd with different particulate-bound Cd species of various horizons in the soil profiles showed its highest correlation (P = 2.0 × 10−9, n = 42) with the amount of the metal-organic complex-bound Cd species, indicating the importance of the metal-organic complex-bound Cd species in Cd availability to the plants. Key words: Cadmium, soil profile, speciation, availability index, metal-organic complexes