Cobalt and Copper Contents of Some Tropical Soils and Grasses from Puerto Rico

Abstract

Several soil and grass samples were collected with the purpose of determining their copper and cobalt content. One of the soils studied, Cayaguá sandy loam, had the lowest cobalt content and the highest copper content. The Toa sandy loam had the highest cobalt content and the lowest copper content. In general, the soils had a much higher content of copper than of cobalt and a higher content of cobalt and copper than any of the grasses studied. The soils had about twice as much copper and cobalt as the grasses. In all cases the mixture of grasses and legumes had a higher content of copper and cobalt than the grasses alone. The consumption of grasses by the cattle grazing in the areas where the samples were taken does not constitute a hazard for the cattle, because the grasses do not accumulate toxic amounts of the minerals.