Immobilized EDDHA and DFOB as iron carriers to cucumber plants

Iron chelators are the most effective Fe fertilizers known to date. However, due to their negative charge they are easily leached out of the root zone. Besides the risk of groundwater contamination with organic compounds and metals, repeated applications of expensive Fe chelates are often required. With the aim to reduce leaching, desferrioxamine B (DFOB) and ethylenediaminedihydroxyphenylacetic acid (EDDHA) were immobilized on Sepharose and tested as Fe sources to plants. Two cultivars of cucumber (Dlila and Kfir) grown in hydroponic cultures at pH 7.3, efficiently utilized Fe from immobilized FeDFOB, and immobilized FeEDDHA. In general, plant response to the immobilized fertilizers became comparable to that of soluble chelates within a period of 17 to 26 days. The kinetics of alleviating Fe induced chlorosis in plants treated with the immobilized chelates was slower than that obtained with soluble chelates. Moreover, the Fe³⁺ reduction rates obtained for immobilized FeDFOB were slower than those measured for soluble FeDFOB. Our observations suggest that immobilized FeDFOB can serve as a slow release Fe fertilizer. The slow kinetics of reduction and uptake from the immobilized as compared to the soluble chelates can be attributed to the lower accessibility to the plant's roots.