Soil pH, soil acidity, and their effects on plants The pH scale, ranging from 0 to 14, is used to indicate acidity and alkalinity. pH is a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions (symbol = H) in the water contained in the soil. A pH of 7.0 is neutral, values below 7 are acidic, and those above 7 are alkaline (basic). The lower the pH, the more acid the soil. Each unit pH drop indicates te...

Combined application of organic and inorganic amendments was known to play a significant role in improvement of soil properties. A field experiment was conducted to explore the effects of gypsum, farmyard manure and commercial humic acid application on the amelioration of salt affected (saline sodic) soil. During this study, soil pH, electrical conductivity, sodium adsorption ratio, responses o...

An article in a recent issue of this journal by Dr. A. C. Chandler on soil acidity and survival of hookworm.larvae begins as follows: " It is a prevalent opinion that acidity in soil has a tendency to shorten the life of infective hookworm larvae. Hirst (1924), for instance, says "a markedly acid reaction is also most unfavourable to the continued survival of hookworm larvae" and remarks that t...

An analytical method was developed to determine pesticides of various chemical classes in soil, juice and honey using analyte protectants to counteract the enhancement of the chromatographic response produced by the presence of matrix components (matrix effect). This effect was more pronounced for soil and honey samples than for juice samples; regarding the pesticide chemical class, organochlor...

Pesticides are typically applied as mixtures and or sequentially to soil and plants during crop production. A common scenario is herbicide application at planting followed by sequential fungicide applications post-emergence. Fungicides depending on their spectrum of activity may alter and impact soil microbial communities. Thus there is a potential to impact soil processes responsible for herbi...

Studies examining the persistence of prions (the etiological agent of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies) in soil require accurate quantification of pathogenic prion protein (PrPTSE) extracted from or in the presence of soil particles. Here, we demonstrate that natural organic matter (NOM) in soil impacts PrPTSE detection by immunoblotting. Methods commonly used to extract PrPTSE from so...

salicylic acid (sa) plays a key role in plant disease resistance and hyper-sensitive cell death but is also implicated in hardening responses to abiotic stress. the aim of this study is to examine the effects of salicylic acid on the growth, eco-physiological and biochemical characteristics in zinnia elegans plant exposed to copper stress. effects of copper (cu) on biomass, root length and shoo...

Objective:  In addition to the role of organic matter in plant nutrition, this material improves soil quality, physical structure, ventilation and water supply, and ease of penetration and expansion is rooted deep in the soil surface. Effects of organic matter due to climatic factors, soil characteristics may vary from region to region, resulting in organic materials management must be given to...

Hydrological restoration of historically isolated wetlands may mitigate phosphorus (P) loss. The objectives of this study were to quantify P in soil, determine effect of (1) soil characteristics on P release, and (2) antecedent soil hydrological conditions on P dynamics. Humic/fulvic acid bound P and residual P accounted for majority of P (>78%) in surface soils. Soils with highest nutrient sta...

Phosphomonoesterase activities were determined monthly during a seasonal cycle in three characteristic soil types of the English uplands that have been subject to long-term atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Activities (micromol para-nitrophenol g(-1) soil dry wt. h(-1)) ranged between 83.9 and 307 in a blanket peat (total carbon 318 mg g(-1). pH 3.9), 45.2-86.4 in an acid organic grassland soil ...