Unravelling the effects of organic and inorganic amendments in soil-Cd speciation and its uptake by crops

In response to the European Commission Recommendation on the Reduction of the Presence of Cadmium in Foodstuffs (2014/193/EU),several research programs have been implemented in Ireland. In the previous projects lead by Teagasc, a risk assessment model to determine the probability of Cd-concentration exceeding the maximum level was developed. Specific soil amendments for remediation have shown positive yet inconsistent results over the tested soils. Therefore, a fundamental understanding of the Cd-uptake mechanisms as well as the amelioration mechanisms of selected amendments are of urgent need. A mechanistic model will be developed to predict the Cd uptake flux by potato roots in dependence of soil properties by combining a mechanistic soil chemical model with a mechanistic root uptake model.