Chemical evaluation of HBED/Fe(3+) and the novel HJB/Fe(3+) chelates as fertilizers to alleviate iron chlorosis

Abstract

Iron chelates such as ethylenediamine-N,N'-bis(2-hydroxyphenylacetic) acid (o,o-EDDHA) and their analogues are the most efficient soil fertilizers to treat iron chlorosis in plants growing in calcareous soil. A new chelating agent, HJB (N,N'-bis(2-hydroxy-5-methylphenyl)ethylendiamine-N,N'-diacetic acid) may be an alternative to o,o-EDDHA since its synthesis yields a purer product, but its chemical behavior and efficiency as chlorosis corrector should be evaluated. In this research, a known analogous HBED (N,N'-bis(2-hydroxyphenyl)ethylendiamine-N,N'-diacetic acid) has also been considered. First, an ion-pair high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method has been tested for the HJB/Fe(3+) and HBED/Fe(3+) determination. The ability of HJB and HBED to maintain Fe in solution has been compared with respect to o,o-EDDHA. Theoretical modelization for HBED and HJB in agronomic conditions has been done after the determination of the protonation and Ca(II), Mg(II), Fe(III), and Cu(II) stability constants for HJB. Also, batch interaction experiments with soils and soil materials have been conducted. According to our results, HJB/Fe(3+) and HBED/Fe(3+) present high stability, even when competing cations (Cu(2+), Ca(2+)) are present, and have low reactivity with soils and soil components. The chelating agent HJB dissolves a higher amount of Fe than o,o-EDDHA, and it seems as effective as o,o-EDDHA in keeping Fe in solution. These results indicate that these chelates may be very efficient products to correct Fe chlorosis, and additional plant experiments should demonstrate plants' ability to assimilate Fe from HJB/Fe(3+) and HBED/Fe(3+).