In this study available cooper (Cu) content in different sources of this micronutrient was determined using several extractants. The cooper sources were: coppper oxide p.a. + copper powder p.a., copper oxide 40 Ind., CuSO4.5H2O p.a., chalcopyrite ore, copper powder p.a. and copper oxide p.a., and they were used in the following extraction procedures: total Cu content and soluble Cu contents in water, citric acid at 20 g L-1, neutral ammonium citrate (1 + 9) and DTPA at 0.005 mol L-1. The Cu solubility in the latter three extractors was assessed after shaking the sample for one hour and boiling it for 5 minutes. Alongside, growth and Cu uptake by rice plants (Oryza sativa L.) cultivated in an orthic Quartzpsamment, fertilized with the different Cu sources at rates of 0.0, 0.75, 1.5 and 3.0 mg dm-3 of Cu, were evaluated in a greenhouse. The fertilizers differed in soluble Cu as well as the total Cu content. All tested sources were efficient in supplying Cu to plants, although higher doses were necessary when the sources containing chalcopyrite and copper oxide 40 Ind. were used, since these sources resulted in lower amounts of plant-available Cu. A residual effect of Cu was observed in the soil for all sources after the second rice cultivation. In view of the differences of the sources regarding Cu solubility and agronomic efficiency, the use of a second warranty control is suggested to determine the Cu content besides that of the total content. The extraction procedure using neutral ammonium citrate (1 + 9) at 1:100, with boiling for 5 min, proved adequate for the determination of the available Cu content in fertilizers.
copper sources; availability; solubility; chemical extractants; rice
