Ads
related to: how to reduce alkaline soil
Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Alkali, or alkaline, soils are clay soils with high pH (greater than 8.5), a poor soil structure and a low infiltration capacity. Often they have a hard calcareous layer at 0.5 to 1 metre depth. Alkali soils owe their unfavorable physico-chemical properties mainly to the dominating presence of sodium carbonate , which causes the soil to swell ...
Soil acidification is the buildup of hydrogen cations, which reduces the soil pH. Chemically, this happens when a proton donor gets added to the soil. The donor can be an acid , such as nitric acid , sulfuric acid , or carbonic acid .
In the soil, the ammonium ion is released and forms a small amount of acid, lowering the pH balance of the soil, while contributing essential nitrogen for plant growth. One disadvantage to the use of ammonium sulfate is its low nitrogen content relative to ammonium nitrate , which elevates transportation costs.
Land drainage for soil salinity control is usually by horizontal drainage system (figure left), but vertical systems (figure right) are also employed. The drainage system designed to evacuate salty water also lowers the water table. To reduce the cost of the system, the lowering must be reduced to a minimum.
Then, using the initial soil pH and the aluminium content, the amount of lime needed to raise the pH to a desired level can be calculated. [68] Amendments other than agricultural lime that can be used to increase the pH of soil include wood ash, industrial calcium oxide , magnesium oxide, basic slag (calcium silicate), and oyster shells.
Structure liming can reduce losses of clay and nutrients from soil aggregates. [3] The degree to which a given amount of lime per unit of soil volume will increase soil pH depends on the buffer capacity of the soil (this is generally related to soil cation exchange capacity or CEC). Most acid soils are saturated with aluminum rather than ...
Some effects of agricultural lime on soil are: it increases the pH of acidic soil, reducing soil acidity and increasing alkalinity [1] it provides a source of calcium for plants; it improves water penetration for acidic soils; it improves the uptake of major plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) of plants growing on acid soils. [2]
There are many horticultural plants which are calcifuges, most of which require an 'ericaceous' compost with a low pH, composed principally of Sphagnum moss peat. Alternatively sulphur chips may be used to lower soil pH. A plant that thrives in lime-rich soils is known as a calcicole.