Summary:

Zinc is an essential microelement that is required for the proper growth and development of crops, and its content in the soil varies. Due to the physiological functions it performs in living organisms, zinc is considered an essential element in the nutrition of plants and animals. The total forms of trace elements do not fully reflect the possibilities of their absorption. They provide only approximate ranges of the soil's abundance in a given ingredient. Plants can obtain microelements only from bioavailable forms.The content of available forms of elements in soils is one of the important determinants of plant yield. Zinc deficiency is a serious problem in agricultural soils around the world because it results in reduced crop yields. The aim of the study was to assess the content of total and available forms of zinc in the surface horizons of arable Luvisols in the Pałuki region, that has been intensively used for agriculture.
Basic physical and chemical soil properties were determined using methods commonly applied by soil science laboratories. The content of total zinc forms was determined using the Crock and Severson method. Forms bioavailable to plants were identified using the Lindsay and Norvell method. The content of both forms of zinc was determined by atomic adsorption spectroscopy (AAS).
In the analysed samples of arable land, low contents of total and available forms of zinc were recorded. The correlation analysis that was carried out confirmed that the content of these forms in the soil is significantly influenced by reaction. Due to the low levels of zinc forms found in the studied agricultural soils, It is necessary to monitor the amounts of this trace element.