Removal of zinc residues from apple leaves by hydrochloric acid and leaching of other nutrients in the process

Leaves sampled from “Lord Lambourne”, “Starking Delicious” and “Golden Delicious” apple trees sprayed with zinc sulphate were treated in various ways (a detergent wash, an acid wash, a 10 min, or a 20 min soak in N‐HCl). Leaves which were soaked had the lowest zinc content, and this was attributed to “internal” zinc; the other treatments left behind more zinc, and the increase was attributed to “external” and/or easily leachable zinc. A single spray (0.3% ZnSO4. H2O) increased “internal” zinc contents to ∼50 parts/106, and three sprays to ∼150 Parts/106. Soaking the leaves in N‐HCl for 10 min leached out K, Mg and Mn but not N, P or Fe. As with zinc, soaking for 20 min did not, except in one case, leach out any additional amounts of nutrients. It is suggested that there may be an “easily leachable” fraction of K, Mg, Mn, and possibly Zn, which is removed from the leaves by the 10 min soak in N‐HCl.