Premium
CHANGES IN THE PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF A MINERAL TOPSOIL UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF PEAT DEBRIS
Author(s) -
COYLE E.,
COLLINS J. F.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
journal of soil science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.244
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2389
pISSN - 0022-4588
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2389.1981.tb01720.x
Subject(s) - peat , topsoil , environmental chemistry , humus , cation exchange capacity , soil science , debris , chemistry , environmental science , geology , soil water , ecology , oceanography , biology
Summary Changes are reported of particle size distribution, organic carbon and nitrogen values, cation exchange capacity and exchangeable cation populations, and in iron and aluminium patterns as a result of adding varying rates of acid peat debris to a mineral topsoil. Up to 3 cm of peat had beneficial effects on soil chemical and physical properties but 5 to 8 cm was sufficient to cause considerable acidification, release of Fe and other ions from primary minerals and the development of an iron seam (or pan) which contains up to 7 per cent free iron. Greater thickness of peat (up to 30 cm) caused soil reaction to drop to pH 4 or less and produced so much humic acids as to inhibit iron precipitation and to facilitate its removal from the profiles. The effects of soil moisture on the pattern of peat humification in the deeper additions (20–30 cm) are also outlined.