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Title: An Evaluation of the Chelating Agent EDDS for Floriculture Crop Production

Author
item Albano, Joseph
item WILSON, CHRIS - UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
item Evens, Terence

Submitted to: Southern Nursery Association Research Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/7/2008
Publication Date: 9/1/2008
Citation: Albano, J.P., Wilson, C., Evens, T.J. 2008. An Evaluation of the Chelating Agent EDDS for Floriculture Crop Production. Southern Nursery Association Research Conference. 53:101-103.

Interpretive Summary: In summary, preliminary results indicate that FeEDDS is a suitable Fe source for the formulation of soluble fertilizers for the production of floricultural crops. Furthermore, we found that under the experimental conditions employed in the study, EDDS had a lower capacity to extract metals from peat-based media, suggests that EDDS may be a “safer” chelate for the production of the marigold and geranium group of bedding plants that are prone to develop nutrient disorders related to toxic levels of Fe or Mn. In the FeEDDS form, however, EDDS is vulnerable to phtotodegradation, so fertilizer stock solutions formulated with EDDS would need to be protected from exposure to light.

Technical Abstract: Aminopolycarboxylic acid (APCA) ligands (chelating agents) like ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) are commonly used in soluble fertilizers to supply copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and/or zinc (Zn) to plants. When complexed with Fe, EDTA and DTPA are vulnerable to photodegradation, but otherwise, the chemical or biological destruction of these chelating agents once in water or in soils is slow to occur. Ethylenediaminedisuccinic acid (EDDS) is a chelating agent that has been reported to provide the chelating abilities of EDTA, but with the benefit of being biodegradable. The use of EDDS in soluble fertilizers for the production of floricultural crops is the subject of investigation reported.