Lacatusu Radu

National Research and Development Institute for Soil Science, Agrochemistry and Environmental Protection | ICPA · Department of Agrochemistry and Plant Nutrition

Smelters contaminate grasslands over large areas, leading to a decrease in ecosystem services. We analyzed the concentrations of elements and the values of other potential control variables in soil and plants (26 species) from 156 locations distributed over contamination and altitude gradients in a small polluted catchment. The regression analysis...

Total and mobile selenium contents in soils and rocks was studied in the South-Eastern part of Romania, namely South and Central Dobrogea and the South Eastern Romanian Plain. The average total selenium content in the rocks and parent materials is lower than the values presented in literature for rocks and similar materials. The total selenium cont...

Total and mobile selenium contents in soils and rocks were studied in the SouthEastern part of Romania, namely South and Central Dobrogea and the SouthEastern Romanian Plain. The average total selenium content in the rocks and parent materials is lower than the values presented in the literature for rocks and similar materials. The total selenium c...

In the autumn 2017 we have launched “The structure of a transdisciplinary research consortium for bio-geo-interactions research and integrated river basin management” (Lăcătușu et al. 2017). We have targeted in partnerships since 2007 the trans-disciplinary topic of river basin management under the pressure of pollutants and climate changes at diff...

Water flow in soil is a complex environmental process, which is very important not only for soil formation conditions in the nature, but also for plant development and leaching of nutrients and pollutants toward groundwater. The purpose of this work is to develop a research device intermediary between small-sized soil columns and lysimeters, as wel...

The purpose of this paper is to test the hypothesis that the natural soil compaction and its related soil properties in forests are significantly different from the soil compaction in arable soils, under the same climate, relief, geology and soil conditions. This study was carried out in the southern part of the Romanian Plain, during the summer of...

This paper tests the hypothesis that the soil organic carbon (OC), total nitrogen (Nt), nitrate-N and ammonium-N in forests are significantly different from the same properties in arable soils, under similar relief, geology, climate and heavy-clay soil conditions (phaeozioms). Such soils are largely spread in the world. Four pairs of soil profiles...

The human settlements in the Glavacioc river basin located in southern Romania are predominantly rural, the inhabitants occupied with agriculture and animal husbandry. The lack of proper facilities, legislative gaps, insufficient or non-existent control of environmental authorities, poor education regarding environmental protection, led to improper...

The human settlements in the Glavacioc river basin located in southern Romania are predominantly rural, the inhabitants occupied with agriculture and animal husbandry. The lack of proper facilities, legislative gaps, insufficient or non-existent control of environmental authorities, poor education regarding environmental protection, led to improper...

Applying organo-zeolitic treatment to heavy metals polluted soil has favored the accumulation of high amounts of metals in the roots but a poor translocation in shoots and leaves. Zn and Cu were accumulated the most and Pb the least. The value of transfer factor in mustard leaves was higher in plants from the control soil than in mustard plant from...

This paper characterizes the present-day quality of groundwater from the Glavacioc catchment and tests the existence of significant differences between the chemical components of the groundwater and surface water. Water samples were collected from wells located in the built-up area of villages and from the surface water of the Glavacioc River. Ther...

Dietary exposure to several heavy metals such as Cd, Cr, Pb, As represents a risk to human health through the consumption of vegetables. Due to the possible risks for the human body, contamination of soils as well as drinking and irrigation water has been the subject of many researches. In this study, the analysis of heavy metals content from soil,...

Seven institutional partners from four Romanian development regions joined in a consortium focused on the sustainable administration of water resources, river basins and wetlands. The goal of INTER-ASPA project is to create an innovation environment able to support over multiple strategic cycles the disciplinary, inter-disciplinary and trans-discip...

It is presented the results of an expeditionary study , conducted in the south-east part of Romania, soil samples (0-20 cm) under the mais during the growning phase of 4-7 pairs of leaves , have been colected. The investigation methodology included three methods: determining the soil content of mobile Zn, calculating the values of the reaction-mobi...

The effect of a polycomposite compost consisting of three organic waste (farmyard manure, sewagw sludge and marine algae) on the nutrition and seed production of the sunflower cultivated in a field experence on a chernoziom in the southeastern part of Romania , was investigated for two years. As a result , the seed production , on average, up to 1....

The Baragan Plain ,through the natural frame elements, has determined the manner of the land use,wich, by cultivation practicies, has led to radical changes in local and regional topography, exerting pressure on ecosystems in general. Relief, as a pedogenesis factor,has a stong influence on the soil development level, but through the topographical...

It is a book of 440 pages, published in Romanian.

Aiming to increase the use of natural resourses and unexplored opportunites in industrial and agricultural practises, the marine algae biomass was used in association with another two organic wastes, farmyard manure from cattlebreeding farms and sewage sludge, to produce a compost suitable as organic ferilizer for plant cultivation in ecologic farm...

The paper presents the results of researches conducted in two types of experimental fields organized in ecological, conservation versus conventional agricultural systems. An ecological agriculture field experiment was organized on a Chernozems in southeastern part of Romania, for assessing the effect of soil organic fertilization with compost made...

The soil fertilization in ecological agriculture is done mostly using organic fertilizers. Some of them are prepared as compost from waste, but other haven’t, until now, any recycling possibility. In this context, for the preparation of new types of compost, we used three type of waste: sewage sludge from waste water treatment, marine algae and far...

Within the areas polluted with heavy metals, on a low macro-elements content background , a highly unbalanced level of nutrients in soil and plants was registered. In Roma-nia, this phenomenon was emphasised within the areas affected by emissions from non-ferrous metallurgical industry in the Copşa Mică, Baia Mare, and Zlatna cities. The pollution...

Producing large geo-referenced data sets for characterizing environmental variables is a major objective of the current national research programs. In Romania such public raw data sets are practically absent. In the framework of one past and two ongoing research projects we adopted a framework focusing the production of such data on coupled enviro...

Necessity of biofortification with selenium of plants used as fodder and food in Romania Radu Lăcătușu, Anca-Rovena Lăcătușu, Mihaela Monica Stanciu-Burileanu, Mihaela Lungu National Research & Development Institute for Soil Science, Agrochemistry and Environment Protection Bucharest, Romania ABSTRACT: The Se deficiency in animal nutrition might...

Zinc Deficiency of Maize in Romania Radu Lacatusu, Anca-Rovena Lacatusu National R & D Institute for Soil Science, Agrochemistry and Environment Protection Bucharest, Romania; Marasti Blvd., 61, Bucharest, 011464, ROMANIA, radu.lacatusu@icpa.ro INTRODUCTION Zinc (Zn) deficiency in maize has been reported to occur in Romania in cold and wet sprin...

A new dual reciprocity-type approach to approximating the solution of non-homogeneous hyperbolic boundary value problems is presented in this paper. Typical variants of the dual reciprocity method obtain approximate particular solutions of boundary value problems in two steps. In the first step, the source function is approximated, typically using...

A new compost derived from three waste: farmyard manure, sewage sludge and marine algae was achieved.

A new compost derived from three waste: farmyard manure, sewage sludge, and marine algae was achieved. After chemical analysis of the raw materials and the final products resulting from composting, research was conducted to test the compost effect on the maize plants growth in the climate chamber. Have been carried out experimental variants consist...

Speciation determination can be obtained by solid analysis techniques for samples with high Se concentrations (mg/kg). Such results are not transposable to samples containing low selenium concentrations (μg/kg), in particular in a radiological context or biosphere monitoring. In this paper, it is highlighted the development of some methods regardin...

Complex researches have been carried out in the Southern neighborhood of Bucharest Municipality (Bragadiru, Măgurele, Jilava, 1 Decembrie, Copăceni, Vidra, Berceni, Popești-Leordeni, and Glina) regarding the agrochemical characteristics of the cultivated soils, the fertilization modalities, and the incidence of some pollution phenomena with impact...

According the red mud chemical and agrochemical properties evaluated in the previous paper, there were set up two experiments concerning individual types of nutritive red mud composite formulations. Adjuvant materials selected for deep changes in the basic red mud agrochemical properties were: phosphogypsum (PG), sludge from urban biological waste...

The sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plant of Iasi, a city with 300,000 inhabitants, for domestic and industrial origin, was stored in a mud pond arranged on an area of 18,920 m2. Chemical analyzes of the sludge showed that, of all the chemical elements determined, only Zn is found at pollutant level (5739 mg∙kg-1), i.e. almost 30 times more...

A pot experiment was carried out to determine to what extent the N and P uptake into A. capillaris influence the accumulation of metals from contaminated soil supplied with these fertilizers. The experiment consisted of 80 polyethylene pots which were placed in turn into larger glass beakers without drainage holes. This prevents loss of any nutrien...

The grasslands around the smelter area Zlatna (Romania) have been strongly contaminated with Pb, Cu and Zn by atmospheric deposition. This has led to the destruction of the vegetation cover in some areas followed by erosion and transport of the contaminated top soil, while in other areas the interplay between plant resistance to toxic effects and g...

In the last years, significant progresses were made in finding useful red mud applications as raw material for several products, even if the production costs are still unattractive. Some of the reported successful applications are concerning research on : a) revegetation of the disposal area and b) polluted soil remediation. The purpose of this stu...

In the last years, significant progresses were made in finding useful red mud applications as raw material for several products, even if the production costs are still unattractive. Some of the reported successful applications are concerning researches on: a) revegetation of the disposal area and b) polluted soils remediation. The purpose of this s...

The need to define more comprehensive the concept of soil fertility, but also to offer a practical tool to measure it, both for natural and agricultural soils without penalty interdictions and for soils affected by anthropogenesis processes, respectively urban soils, has led to elaboration of a complex indicator for assessing fertility (CIF). In or...

Total and mobile selenium contents of an albic luvisol were studied in a long term experiment with lime, mineral and organic fertilizer, in relation with other soil chemical properties (reaction, organic matter content, clay content). Statistical processing of the analytical data obtained in the laboratory showed that moderate liming, with cumulate...

Within the areas polluted with heavy metals, on low macroelements content background, a highly unbalanced level of nutrients in soil and plants was registered. In Romania. this phenomenon was emphasised within the areas affected by emission from non-ferrous metallurgical industry in the Copșa Mică, Baia Mare and Zlatna cities. The pollution degree...

Within the areas polluted with heavy metals, on a low macro-elements content back-ground, a highly unbalanced level of nutrients in soil and plants was registered. In Roma-nia, this phenomenon was emphasised within the areas affected by emissions from non-ferrous metallurgical industry in the Copşa Mică, Baia Mare, and Zlatna cities. The pollution...

The low level of selenium in soils from different Romanian areas indicates a need for its supplementation. Biofortification through treatments applied to crops has the advantage of supplementation of food chain with controlled levels of selenium compounds, with high bioavailability. We present a biotechnological approach of biofortification, adapte...

Four soil profiles were studied from the Moldavian Plateau (Jijia’s Hilly Plane and Central Moldavian Plateau) and Central Moldavian Plateau (Forests’ Plateau): a regraded chernic cambic Aric Regosol , at Adamachi Farm near Iassy Municipality, an Aric preluvic Regosol in Avereşti locality, Vaslui County, an Aric chernic, calcaric Regosol at Oneşti,...

The paper presents the results of an experiment carried out in controlled conditions, regarding triticale plants growth on a nutritive layer consisting of a mixture of red mud, acid rock and compost, in different proportions. The analytical results highlighted the strongly alkaline reaction of the layer, high organic carbon, mobile phosphorus and p...

Six soil profiles were analuzed from the southern part of Oltenia, the area of sandy soils, from the point of view of main physical and chemical characteristics and of the selenium abundance. Three of them are located around the Desa locality and three around the Dăbuleni locality. The predominance of coarse texture was established, along with a di...

The effect of heavy metals’ immobilization with natural zeolitic tuffs and with organo-zeolitic material in soils polluted by Pb, Zn, Cu and Cd affected by the nonferrous metallurgy industry it has been studied in an experiment with Lolium perenne in laboratory and greenhouse conditions. Surface soil samples (0-20 cm) of 100 kg each (as global samp...

The paper presents the results of bioremediation experiment conducted in order to determine the effectiveness of this method for the decontamination of a soil historically contaminated with heavy metals and artificially controlled with two of the most aggressive group of organic pollutants: hydrocarbons from crude petroleum and polychlorinated biph...

Six soil profiles were analyzed from the southern part of Oltenia, the area of sandy soils, from the point of view of main physical and chemical characteristics and of the selenium abundance. Three of them are located around the Desa locality and three around the Dăbuleni locality. The predominance of coarse texture was established, along with a di...

Selenium mobility in soil depends on a multitude of physical and chemical factors. The present paper highlights the selenium solubilization degree out of the total soil content in relation with its agrochemical properties. Soils samples were considered collected from different agricultural areas of the Country, with or without certain natural handi...

Seleniul în salsodisoluri situate de-a lungul văilor râurilor Călmăţui şi Buzău Abstract Selenium contents were determined in the A horizon of the Salsodisols (Solonchaks and Solonetz) placed along the Călmăţui and Buzău Valleys. The total selenium content oscillated between 480 and 1140 g·kg -1 , with an average value of 800 g·kg -1 . This value...

Abstract: The soil cover of the Făgăraş Depression consists of different types and sub-types belonging to the following classes: Protisols, Umbrisols, Cambisols, Luvisols, and Hydrisols. These soils are generally acid, with low humus and total nitrogen contents and low up to average mobile phosphorus and potassium contents. They have a predominant...

A field survey was conducted to investigate the metal contamination in soils and vegetables, and to evaluate the possible health risks to local population through food chain transfer near two processing of non-ferrous ore deposits in Baia Mare, northwestern Romania. Contamination levels in soils and vegetables with cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn...

In the northwestern part of Romania there is one of the most polluted cities in the country, Baia Mare. Non-ferrous ore exploitation, its processing in smelting and flotation plants are all sources of environmental pollution by sulfur oxides and heavy metals. Research has revealed that the content of heavy metals in the upper horizon of soils from...

HG-AAS (Hydride generation coupled with atomic absorption spectrometry) was applied to assess selenium concentrations in some soil and parental material samples from South-Eastem Romanian Plain and CentralSouth Dobrogea. Selenium analysis by HG-AAS requires digestion of solid samples to release selenium into a solution, and extraction of mobile sel...

Făgăraș Depression soil cover consists of a mosaic of soils where are prevalent Protisols represented by Fluvisols (39.2%) and Haplic Luvisols (38%), Cambisols represented by Distric Cambisols and Eutric Cambisols (12.5%) and Hydrisols represented by Gleysols, Stagnosols and Histosols(7.5%). Făgăraș Depression soils, predominantly acid, with low co...

It is presented the possibility to reduce contents of heavy metals (cadmium, zinc) in a sludge proceeded from the wastewater treatment plant of Iaşi Municipality. The sludge was deposited, for over 10 years, in a mud pond with a surface about 15 ha, placed on a calcareous and salinised alluvial soil. For this purpose, it is proposed using the spont...

We performed a rational reconstruction of the relationship between biogeochemistry and the study of ecological productive systems. A structural and a functional possibility for building biogeochemical integrated models with optimal complexity have been identified. The conceptual framework was then applied to metals in contaminated areas. Metal mobi...

Total and mobile selenium contents of an albic luvisol were studied in a long term experiment with lime, mineral and organic fertilizers, in relation with other soil chemical properties (reaction, organic matter content, clay content < 2μ). Statistical processing of the analytical data obtained in the laboratory showed that moderate liming, with cu...

The objective of our study was to determine the concentrations of heavy metals (Cd, Cr, Co, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn and Fe) from soil samples, which have been previously treated with HNO3 and concentrated HClO4. The study was performed on a series of 24 soil samples and one soil profile, collected from the alluvial soil in the Copşa Mică area. The conce...

The heavy metal content in superior horizons, 0–20 cm depth of urban soils situated lengthways of the main streets was analyzed from three Romanian municipalities: Bucharest, Iassy and Baia Mare. The last city, Baia Mare, has received a stronger anthropogenic impact because of the presence of mining and processing nonferrous ores industries. The Ba...

Electro-remediation technologies have been applied on a former Petroleum Park, at Sfinţii Voievozi, Dâmboviţa County. The evolution of the soil chemical and microbiological properties has been studied, by sampling and laboratory analyses carried out at different time intervals. Organic carbon and nutritional macro-elements contents varied in time....

Selenium is a trace element with multiple functions in animal and human nutrition. Deficiency in selenium reported for sheep bred in Central Dobrogea, required to initiate a comprehensive study on the abundance of total Se in parental rocks, in soil and wheat plants (the whole plant, on 5-6 stage by Feeks scale, and the grain at maturity) from the...

The behavior of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in soil is determined by several factors including adsorption, mobility and degradation. Adsorption, directly or indirectly, influences the other factors. Adsorption process is generally evaluated by using adsorption isotherms representing the relationship between the quantity of substance adsorbed p...

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to establish the abundance of heavy metals in the soils affected by the past Rosia Montana gold and silver ore mining, and in currently unaffected soils that will be impacted by the proposed Rosia Montana project that foresees the expansion of the ore exploitation and a new processing facility. The soil cover o...