Lead Uptake and Corn Growth with Soil‐Applied Lead

Corn (Zea mays L.) was grown in the field where lead acetate had been soil‐applied at 8 rates ranging from 0 to 3,200 kg/ha of lead. Emergence, plant height, and grain yield were not affected by added lead. Neither were any morphological, color, maturity, or other growth differences visually observed during the 2‐year study. Added lead increased the lead content of stover. Lead content (ppm) of the stover for the 0 and 3,200 kg/ha treatments were: 2.4 and 37.8 for young whole plants, 3.6 and 27.6 for leaves at tasselling, and 4.2 and 20.4 for whole plants at grain harvest. Lead content of grain averaged 0.4 ppm lead and was not affected by added lead.