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Soil pH is considered a master variable in soils as it affects many chemical processes. ... 4.5–5.0 Strongly acidic: 5.1–5.5 ... Calcareous soils may vary in pH ...
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. It can also be a compound such as aluminium sulfate, which reacts in the soil to release protons.
Water with excess H 3 O + ions is called acid (pH < 7), and water with excess OH – ions is called alkaline or rather basic (pH > 7). Soil moisture with pH < 4 is called very acid and with pH > 10 very alkaline (basic). H 2 CO 3 (carbonic acid) is unstable and produces H 2 O (water) and CO 2 (carbon dioxide gas, escaping into the atmosphere).
The soil bulk density of cultivated loam is about 1.1 to 1.4 g/cm 3 (for comparison water is 1.0 g/cm 3). [48] Contrary to particle density, soil bulk density is highly variable for a given soil, with a strong causal relationship with soil biological activity and management strategies. [ 49 ]
Sulfuric material refers to soil material that has a pH of less than 4 owing to the oxidation of sulfidic material. [ 27 ] Sulfidic material refers to “soil materials containing detectable inorganic sulfides (≥0.01% sulfidic sulfur) that can exist as horizons or layers at least 30 mm thick or as surficial features”, [ 27 ] and is further ...
Topsoil is composed of mineral particles and organic matter and usually extends to a depth of 5-10 inches (13–25 cm). Together these make a substrate capable of holding water and air which encourages biological activity.
Most soils have a dry bulk density (density of soil taking into account voids when dry) between 1.1 and 1.6 g/cm 3, though the soil particle density is much higher, in the range of 2.6 to 2.7 g/cm 3. [7]
Nutrients in the soil are taken up by the plant through its roots, and in particular its root hairs.To be taken up by a plant, a nutrient element must be located near the root surface; however, the supply of nutrients in contact with the root is rapidly depleted within a distance of ca. 2 mm. [14] There are three basic mechanisms whereby nutrient ions dissolved in the soil solution are brought ...