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THE MINOR ELEMENTS • <br />Analyses provided by Peabody Coal Company Laboratory include boron, <br />copper, molybdenum selenium and zinc. The composited sample analyses <br />show no high concentrations that might affect the use of either the <br />stockpile or soil materials yet to be stockpiled. <br />Considerable research is needed to answer the following questions: <br />(1) What fraction of the total soil content of a minor element <br />is soluble (extractable) under natural conditions of occurrence? <br />(2) What fraction of the soluble or extractable portion is taken up <br />by plants and what variations in uptake are peculiar to plant species? <br />(3) Of that portion absorbed by plants, what fractions go into roots, <br />stems, leaves and fruit and remains in the harvested and cured <br />product? <br />(4) What fraction in that part of the plant eaten by animals or <br />man is retained in the system and what fraction is excreted? <br />(5) What is the range of body requirements of a minor element and at • <br />what levels of concentration in body tissues does it exceed tolerance <br />limits and create toxicity symptoms? <br />Because this progressive chain of minor element translocations is <br />not thoroughly researched, only some general data is available for <br />purposes of interpretation. <br />Kirkham studying minor elements in soils and 35 years of sludge <br />addition to soils found that the ratio of annual crop uptake to total <br />soluble (extractable) captions was 2.25 x 10-2 for Cu, 3.1 x 10-2 for <br />Zn; 0.5 for Fe, 1.3 x 10 4 for Ni and 3 x 10-2 for a number of other <br />minor elements. The ratio of annual crop uptake to total soil con- <br />centration was aouroximately 2 x 10-y for Zn, 9 x 10-6 for Ni and <br /> -5 <br />4.5 x 10 <br />for Cu. The plant tolerance levels for anions in soluble <br />soil solution varied widely being about 3 ppm for boron, 5 x pH x ppm <br />for copper, + 10 ppm for molybdenum, 1-15 ppm for selenium and 50-200 <br />ppm for zinc On this basis, we would expect no evidence of toxicity <br />of minor elements during the use of these soil s and stockpiles for <br />reclamation of the mine disturbed areas. <br />-101- <br />