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A Study of the Availability of Phorphorus and Potash and Their Influence upon Vegetable Crop Production and Fertilizer Practices on Coastal Plain Soils
Author(s) -
Hester J. B.,
Carolus R. L.,
Blume J. M.
Publication year - 1937
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1937.03615995000100000042x
Subject(s) - potash , truck , crop , fertilizer , soil water , archaeology , environmental science , geography , engineering , forestry , agronomy , biology , soil science , aerospace engineering
The fact that the chemical composition of the soil solution influences plant production is generally recognized (14 p. 482). A study of the soil complexes that influence the composition of the soil solution is fundamental. Therefore, the selection of extracting reagents which will give definite information concerning the composition of the soil solution and the supplying power of the soil for specific plant nutrients is a difficult and fundamental problem of soil chemistry. It is recognized (12 p. 232) that the absorbing power of different plants varies. It has also been shown(ll, 14 p. 482) that the composition of the soil solution influences the composition of the plant. Which factor has the greater influence is a question yet to be solved. The fact that fertilization practices for intensive agricultural projects influence the composition of the soil solution and of plants grown upon these soils has likewise been shown. Further, soil testing methods (7, "B, 9) have been.developed which show differences resulting from these fertilizer practices and which are of practical value to scientific agriculture. The extracting reagents that have been employed by different workers may be classed under two general heads: (a) fairly strong acid or acid-salt mixtures (5, 6, 15, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22) and (b) more dilute acid or dilute acid-salt mixtures (l, 5, 7, 8, 9, 13, 17). In general, the stronger reagents are used on the soils that have not received heavy applications of commercial fertilizers in the past, whereas the more dilute solutions are used in the eastern part of the United States where rather large quantities of commercial fertilizer have been used for some time. The information desired governs the choice of the extracting reagent. If a knowledge of the composition of the soil solution that influences plant growth is desired, the dilute solution is the most satisfactory. However, if the supplying power of the soil for a period of time is the information sought, perhaps the stronger extracting reagents are the more desirable. This paper deals with the employment of a dilute solution of sodium acetate-acetic acid mixture (l, 7, 8, 9) (0.125 normal for sodium and 0.167 for acetate ion) as a supplement to soil fertility studies and the relation between sodium acetate extractable, water soluble, and plant absorbable materials.