Release Kinetics of Iodine in a Soil Amended with Different Rates and Methods of Application of Chitosan Iodate and Potassium Iodate Applied to Tomato

Iodine is highly prone to leaching and volatilization which results in iodine depletion in soils. Numerous studies have focused on the process by which iodine is absorbed from the soil, but there is still paucity of knowledge on different fractions of iodine in soils. In our work, we assessed different fractions of iodine (Water Extractable, Exchangeable, Organic bound, Oxide bound and Residual iodine) in soil from different sources of chitosan and potassium iodate alone and combinations. The results suggested that combination of potassium iodate and chitosan complex has increased the iodine stability throughout the cropping period in different seasons. As electrostatic interaction between chitosan and iodate prevents volatilization and gradually stabilizes the availability of iodine, our findings offer more details on iodine mobility and behaviour in soil when it is used alone and combination with chitosan at different rates.