The effect of soil amendments, i.e., compost, zeolite, and calcium oxide, on the chemical properties of soil contaminated with Cr(III) and Cr(VI) and the uptake of selected heavy metals by spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) was determined in a pot experiment. The content of all investigated heavy metals in the tested plants varied significantly in response to the tested soil amendments and increasing concentrations of Cr(III) and Cr(VI). Compost, zeolite, and calcium oxide contributed to an increase in the average yield of the aerial parts of maize plants only in treatments contaminated with Cr(III). The concentrations of Cr, Zn, and Ni in the aerial parts of spring barley and maize were higher in treatments contaminated with Cr(III) than in treatments contaminated with Cr(VI). Calcium oxide induced a significant increase in soil pH relative to the control treatment. In treatments without soil amendments, the average Cr content of soil was higher in pots contaminated with Cr(VI). The concentrations of Zn and Cu in non-amended treatments were negatively correlated with increasing doses of Cr(III) and Cr(VI). Calcium oxide decreased the average content of Cr, Cu, and Ni in all experimental variants. Compost increased the average content of Zn in treatments contaminated with Cr(III) and Cr(IV) relative to non-amended soil.

Department of Chemistry Research Group of Environmental Toxicology University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn Prawocheńskiego 17 10 720 Olsztyn Poland

Department of Environmental Chemistry Faculty of Environmental Management and Agriculture University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn Pl Łódzki 4 10 727 Olsztyn Poland

Department of Environmental Improvement Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering Warsaw University of Life Sciences SGGW Nowoursynowska 159 02 776 Warsaw Poland

Department of Geology and Pedology Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology Mendel University in Brno Zemědělská 1 1665 613 00 Brno Czech Republic Central European Institute of Technology Brno University of Technology Purkyňova 656 123 612 00 Brno Czech Republic

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