Nickel in Soils and Plants

Nickel (Ni), the fifth common element on the earth is widespread in the environment. Recently Ni has been proved essential for normal growth of many organisms, and at the same time Ni can become toxic to organisms when high in concentration. In several parts of the world, high Ni concentrations are causing serious environmental impacts. This book will be the first to discuss the problems related to Ni presence and raise the need for full investigation and more efforts to support this goal. It will present the recent advances in research on Ni nutrition of plants, Ni contamination of the environment--that is, soils, waters and plants--and methods of remediation.

Christos D. Tsadilas is a senior researcher, General Directorship of Agricultural Research, Hellenic Agricultural Organization "DEMETER", director of Institute of Industrial and Fodder Crops (former Institute of Soil Mapping and Classification), at Larissa, Greece. He received his BS degree in Agronomy, his MS in Soil Mapping, Evaluation and Water Economy of Soils and PhD degrees in Soil Chemistry Soil Fertility from Agricultural University of Athens, Greece. He also followed Post doc studies in University of Kentucky, 1996 through a Fulbright Foundation scholarship and in University of Nebraska, through an OECD scholarship. He did extensive research on nutrient forms in soils and their availability to plants, heavy metals forms in soils and their availability and toxicity to plants, municipal and industrial wastes application to soils and their effects on soil quality and plant health.