Interrelationships between soil magnesium forms

Abstract

A second order equation best described the relationship between exchangeable Mg and both total and acid‐soluble Mg in select temperate and tropical soils. The relationship between acid‐soluble and total Mg was linear. Soil types differ in their Mg contents. On a per unit weight of material bases the finer soil particles contained more than 95 percent of the total soil inorganic magnesium. In tropical soils, as in temperate soils, the total Mg content of surface horizons tends to decrease with severe weathering, soil erosion and movement of soil colloidal particles down the profile.     

Principles underlying the practice of determining lime requirements of acid soils by use of buffer methods

Abstract

A buffer is generally a mixture of a weak acid and a salt of the same weak acid. Hence it can neutralize both acids and bases, and thus resists marked changes in pH of a system. Yet systematic change in pH of a buffer caused by addition of an acidic substance can be used to indicate the total acidity represented by the change in buffer pH. Since acid soil is itself a buffer, when it is added to a buffer mixture for the purpose of measuring its acidity or lime requirement (LR), the resulting double‐buffer suspension (soil‐buffer) is a relatively complex system. Much of the complication in interpreting the changes in buffer pH brought about by mixing soil and buffer stems from the facts: i) that much of the acidity is pH‐dependent, and ii) that quick‐test methodology involves reaction of only a fraction of the total soil acidity with the buffer. Marked change in relative amounts of H ions dissociating from the soil‐SMP‐buffer system at soil‐buffer pH 6.9 and above accounts for relatively wide variations between buffer‐indicated and CaCO₃ incubation‐measured LR of low LR soils. Similarly, decreased reactivity of H⁺ in high organic matter soils and increased reactivity of H in acid‐leached soils cause errors in buffer‐indicated LR. Awareness of these principles helps avoid pitfalls of existing buffer methods, and has led to incorporation of the double‐buffer feature for improving the SMP method.     

Kinetics of ammonia volatilization of anhydrous ammonia applied to a vertisol as influenced by Farm Yard manure,sorbed cations and cation exchange capacity

Abstract

In laboratory experiments, effects of added Farm Yard Manure (FYM), sorbed cations and cation exchange capacity (CEC) on NH₃ volatilization of anhydrous ammonia applied to a Vertisol were studied at 0.3 bar soil Moisture Tension and 25 ± 1°C. On addition of FYM or with increase in CEC the volatilization of retained ammonia was reduced while the effect of the sorbed cations was in the order : K‐Soil > Na‐Soil > Ca‐Soil > Mg‐Soil. The results suggest that the volatilization of retained NH₃ followed First order reaction kinetics, with a rapid rate of volatilization in the initial 8 to 10 h followed by a retarded rate up to 144 h.     

Portable soil test laboratory results compared to standard soil test values

Abstract

Results from a commercially available portable soil test laboratory were compared to standard soil test procedures used by a public soil testing laboratory. Standard soil tests examined were water extracted NO₃‐N, pH, Acid‐P, NaHCO₃‐P, and ammonium acetate extracted K. Approximately 35 to 55 different soils were used to compare methods for each soil test. Linear regression equations between the portable laboratory soil test values and those from the standard procedures were developed. The r² values for NO₃‐N, pH, Acid‐P, NaHCO₃‐P, and K were 0.970, 0.891, 0.734, 0.742, and 0.887, respectively. The coefficient of variability values for NO₃‐N, pH, Acid‐P, NaHCO₃‐P, and K were 10, 1, 13, 15, and 6%, respectively for the portable laboratory, and 9, 2, 8, 9, and 5%, respectively for the public soil testing laboratory. Multiple regression was used to relate soil properties to soil test results. The R2 values for NO3‐N, pH, Acid‐P, NaHCO₃‐P, and K were 0.970, 0.911, 0.860, 0.940, and 0.936, respectively.     

保护性耕作对小麦-土壤系统综合效应研究

采用长期定位试验与短期田间试验相结合的方法,通过室内化验分析和数理统计,研究了河南省不同土壤类型区保护性耕作对土壤理化性质、土壤微生物生物量碳氮及小麦(Triticum aestivum L.)籽粒产量和产量构成因素的影响。结果表明,与传统耕作相比,保护性耕作显著提高土壤有机质、碱解氮、有效磷及交换性钾含量,分别提高24.8%、14.3%、7.8%和24.8%;而对小麦增产效果并不显著。4种不同保护性耕作方式下,免耕、浅耕相比旋耕、深耕,提高小麦穗数15.0%～32.2%,提高穗粒数2.6%～12.6%,但4种处理间小麦千粒重及籽粒产量效果无显著差异;免耕、浅耕较旋耕、深耕可以一定程度上提高苗期和灌浆期土壤含水率、以及土壤碱解氮和有效磷,并显著提高小麦不同生育时期的土壤微生物生物量碳氮。免耕与浅耕是较为适宜河南省小麦生产及土壤可持续利用的保护性耕作方式。     

Changes in soil properties and soil solution nutrients due to conservation versus conventional tillage in Vertisols

Understanding of tillage effects on soil chemical properties and cations in soil solution dynamics is essential for making appropriate land-management decisions. Measurements were made after more than 25 years of different tillage treatments: conventional tillage (CT) and conservation tillage, which includes no-till (NT) and minimum tillage (MT). pH and bulk density did not show important changes but exchangeable cations and cations in soil solution were affected by depth and different tillage. The highest concentration of exchangeable Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ was found in NT, decreased in MT and the lowest concentration was found in CT (mean values were 26.0, 24.4 and 23.3 cmol_c kg^?1 for exchangeable Ca²⁺ and 4.2, 3.7 and 3.3 cmol_c kg^?1 for exchangeable Mg²⁺ in NT, MT and CT, respectively). In addition, the highest concentration of exchangeable Na⁺ was found in NT, decreased in CT and the lowest concentration was found in MT. However, the highest concentration of exchangeable K⁺ was found in MT. A significant depth effect was observed for cations in soil solution: Na⁺ increased with depth whereas K⁺ and Ca²⁺ decreased with depth. This study aims to demonstrate the effect of tillage on the distribution and concentration of certain chemical soil properties.     

Fifteen-year fallow altered the dynamics of soil phosphorus and cationic balance of a savannah Alfisol

This study was designed to evaluate changes in the dynamics of soil phosphorus and cationic balances of a savannah soil subjected to 45 years of continuous cultivation under different fertilizer management and later left fallow for 15 years. It was conducted on the experimental plots at the Institute for Agricultural Research, Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria. Treatments consisted of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), cow dung manure (D) and their combination (DNPK). Results of P fractionation and cationic distribution were compared with previous studies on the same plot 15 years ago. Organic carbon increased from a range of 3–5 g kg^?1 in 1997 to 10.9 g kg^?1 in 2012. Similarly, the cation exchange capacity (CEC) of the soil increased from 6.40 cmol_c kg^?1 in 1997 to 16.4 cmol_c kg¹ in the present study. The degree of saturation of the CEC by Ca²⁺ was 68–79% and 10–20% for Mg²⁺, while that of K⁺ was 1.5–2%. Although there was an uneven trend in depletion and enrichment of the various P pools, however, the fallow period substantially improved the CEC and the plant available P pools of the soil by more than 200% and 6–259%, respectively.     

Nutrient availability and response of sago palm (Metroxylon sago Rottb.) to controlled release N fertilizer on coastal lowland peat in the tropics

Sago palms (Metroxylon sagu Rottb.) growing on peat soils were found to grow more slowly and to show a lower production than palms growing on mineral soils. This difference was related to the physical and chemical constraints of peat soils, which include low bulk density, high acidity, and low N, P, K, Ca, Zn, and Cu levels. In coastal lowland peat soils, the distance from the sea has been found to be an important determinant of soil elemental composition. We predicted that a sufficient supply of N at the rosette stage would improve sago palm growth and that the availability of N in soil to which controlled release N fertilizer was applied might be higher than that in soil treated with soluble fertilizer. To investigate the changes in the nutrient composition of peat soils at various distances from the sea and the effect on sago palm growth, we studied sago palm areas in Indonesia and Malaysia. To observe the influence of N on the growth performance, we also conducted a fertilizer experiment on coastal lowland peat soil in Indonesia. Distance from the sea had no significant effect on the cation concentration in the soil solution (with the exception of Mg) or on the levels of soil-exchangeable cations. No significant differences were observed between the concentrations of exchangeable cations in surface peat soils and those in mature leaves. However, the concentrations of K, Na, and Ca in mature leaves increased significantly with their concentrations in the soil solution. This finding implies that the concentrations of cations in sago palm leaves depend directly on the concentrations of cations in the soil solution. No significant effect of N fertilizers on plant height and leaf formation was observed. N fertilizers applied twice a year did not affect appreciably the foliar concentration of N determined in December 1998 (5 months after the initial application) and December 1999. In June 2000, we detected a significantly higher concentration of N (p < 0.01) in young leaves of the palms treated with LP-100 or urea than in control leaves. However, no significant difference was detected between the LP-100 and urea treatments in the concentration of N in both mature and young leaves. This finding indicated that the concentration of N in sago palm leaves increased with the level of soil-applied N, regardless of whether N was applied as controlled release fertilizer or in the soluble form. We anticipate that a significant difference in the effects of these N fertilizers may occur during the next rainy season, when there should be a considerable loss of soluble N.