Acid Brown Earth Research Articles

Resource allocation of beech seedlings (Fagus sylvatica L.) -relationship to earthworm activity and soil conditions.

The physiological activity and C and N allocation of beech seedlings planted in two different beech forest soils (acid brown earth, rendzina) were studied over 80 days. One adult earthworm Octolasion lacteum (Örley) was placed in half of the containers. Transpiration, CO2, assimilation, chlorophyll synthesis and N incorporation were higher in the acid brown earth than in the rendzina. Fine root production was also higher in the acid brown earth. Production of stems and total N incorporation were higher in the O. lacteum treatments than in the controls. Burrowing activity of O. lacteum did not affect total root production but stimulated the transfer of C and N towards aboveground parts of the plants and shifted the large root to fine root ratio towards large roots. O. lacteum effects were similar in both soils. It is concluded that endogeic earthworms significantly affect resource allocation patterns of beech seedlings over a wide range of soils. This effect can be partly explained by an increased availability of N in soils worked by earth-worms.

Seasonal variations in mineral concentrations in the trunk xylem sap of beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) in a 42‐year‐old beech forest stand

SUMMARYIn a 42‐yr‐old beech forest stand, growing on acid brown earth, five trees were felled every 2 wk. From their lowest trunk segments, each 100 cm in length, tracheal sap was collected by water displacement. The investigation was performed from mid‐October 1988 to mid‐October 1989, comprising a total of 130 sample trees. Xylem sap concentrations of calcium, magnesium, potassium, and manganese of 26 sampling series were analysed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, and the pH values of fresh sap samples were determined. The seasonal variation in xylem sap concentrations of Ca, Mg and Mn in the lowest trunk sections showed a strong increase in the second half of March and in April, a decrease in May, after the leaves had expanded, a low level in summer, and a new increase in late autumn and winter. Potassium showed a different pattern with maximal xylem sap concentrations in autumn. Additionally, at four sampling dates (mid‐March, beginning of May, mid‐August and mid‐November), four trees, one at each date were cut into sections for the determination of the mineral concentrations in the xylem sap along the stem.

Effect of high nonexchangeable aluminium on nitrogen and phosphorus availability in a humus-rich acid forest soil

The effect of high nonexchangeable aluminum on availability of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) was studied in a Cryptopodzolic soil (Cademario) derived from mica schist in southern Switzerland. The research involved a greenhouse pot experiment comparing growth of barley on soil samples of three soil layers (10- to 25-, 40- to 60- and 70- to 90 cm) of the Cademario profile, representing a range of Al and organic matter properties, with the 10- to 40 cm layer of a profile of an acidic brown earth (Haplumbrept), derived from cherty limestone. The experiment, which included four nutrient treatments [check, N0 (PKS), P0 (NKS) and full (NPKS)], lime and no lime treatments and four replicates, was supplemented by soil chemical analysis. Results showed that liming alone produced greater yield responses in the Cademario soil than N or P added singly or together. On unlimed soils, barley yield for check, N0, and P0 treatments showed a positive linear relation with exchangeable Ca of soils and a negative linear relation with organically-complexed Al. Failure of liming to influence Pav, especially when combined with P fertilization, suggests that P was quickly absorbed on highly active surfaces formed from initially exchangeable Al.

The influence of ozone, acid mist and soil nutrient status on Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.

SUMMARYThree‐year old Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] trees established from two clones (4076 and 2470) of a medium‐altitude southern German provenance, were transplanted in May 1986 into two acid brown earth soils which differed particularly in the amounts of exchangeable Ca2+and Mg2+. During the summers of 1987 and 1988 trees were exposed in large‐scale fumigation chambers (solardomes) to ozone at 200 or 40 μg−3(control). Each day trees were treated with acid (pH 3‐6) or control (pH 5‐5) mist solution. In late autumn 1988 certain aspects of tree water relations were investigated. In clone 4076 ozone and acid mist reduced stomatal conductance in the light, but resulted in incomplete stomatal closure at night, reducing the diel range of stomatal conductance in treated trees grown on both soils. In addition, current year's needles excised from clone 4076 dried more rapidly following exposure to ozone and/or acid mist than needles from control trees, indicating impaired stomatal performance. However, evidence of both clonai and soil variation in this response was found. Cellular water relations of current year's shoots of clone 4076 were investigated using pressure‐volume analysis. Exposure to ozone and/or acid mist resulted in a marked increase in the plasticity of tissues (reduction in ɛ) compared with controls, indicating that the pollutants induced cell wall loosening. In trees exposed to acid mist this was associated with lower cellular solute concentrations and a decrease in maximum turgor. Throughout this study, where interactions between ozone and acid mist were significant, they were always antagonistic. It is concluded that effects of ozone and acid mist on stomata, which would be expected to enhance the sensitivity of trees to drought and winter desiccation, may be at least partially compensated for by concomitant changes in the turgor relations of individual cells. It remains to be established whether interactions between gaseous air pollutants and water stress are a factor contributing to the development of forest decline in central Europe and north eastern America.

The influence of ozone and acid mist on the amount and wettability of the surface waxes in Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.

Three-year old Norway spruce [Picea abies (L.) Karst.] trees from two clones (4076 and 4102) of a medium altitude southern German provenance were transplanted in May 1986 into an acid brown earth soil. During the summers of 1987 and 1988 the trees were exposed in large-scale fumigation chambers (solardomes) to ozone at 100 or 20 nl 1-1 (control). Acid (pH 3.6) or control mist (pH 5.5) was applied daily to trees. The wettability of current and 1-year-old needles was assessed in November 1988 by measuring the contact angle of water droplets placed on needles, and the amount of surface wax was determined. The contact angle of water droplets on current and 1-year-old needles was significantly reduced by 100 nl 1-1 PPB ozone and/or acid mist, indicating that the wettability had increased, but the combined effect of ozone and acid mist was no more than additive. Exposure to the pollutants resulted in a slight decrease in the quantity of surface wax, but the effect was not significant. Ozone and acid mist treatment also increased the projected area of needles relative to their dry weight. The possible involvement of such effects in forest decline are discussed.

General methods and materials

In the winter of 1982–83 an experiment was initiated at the University of Hohenheim to investigate the long-term effects of near ambient concentrations of O 3, SO 2, and simulated acidic rain and fog, alone and in combination, on mineral cycling, physiology, biochemistry and anatomy of Norway spruce ( Picea abies L. Karst.), Silver fir ( Abies alba Mill.) and European beech ( Fagus silvatica L.) seedlings in model ecosystems. Open-top chambers above soil lysimeters were protected with shelters 1 m above the open-top against intrusion of ambient dust and rain. The soil, a replaced acid brown earth with a base saturation of 20–30% was from the Black Forest region of the Federal Republic of Germany. This paper describes the technical design aspects of the study, including chamber construction and ventilation, SO 2 and O 3 application and monitoring, simulated precipitation forms and dispensing features, and the environmental parameters monitored. A short description of the plants used and the soil status is also presented. Chamber climatic and edaphic conditions allowed tree seedling normal growth over the five years of study. The pollutant levels within the appropriate chambers were comparable to ambient concentrations found at southwest German forest sites and varied with weather conditions.

Glasshouse evaluation of the growth ofAlnus rubra andAlnus glutinosa on peat and acid brown earth soils when inoculated with four sources ofFrankia

The effects of soil type (an acid peat and 2 acid brown earths) andFrankia source (3 spore-positive crushed nodule inocula and spore-negative crushed nodules containing the singleFrankia ArI5) on nodulation, N content and growth ofAlnus glutinosa andA. rubra were determined in a glasshouse pot experiment of two years duration. Plants on all soils required additional P for growth. Growth of both species was very poor on peat withA. glutinosa superior toA. rubra. The former species was also superior toA. rubra on an acid brown earth with low pH and low P content. Some plant-inoculum combinations were of notable effectivity on particular soils but soil type was the major source of variation in plant weight. Inoculation with crushed nodules containingFrankia ArI5 only gave poor infection of the host plant, suggesting that inoculation with locally-collected crushed nodules can be a preferred alternative to inoculation withFrankia isolates of untested effectivity. Evidence of adaptation ofFrankia to particular soils was obtained. Thus, while the growth of all strains was stimulated by mineral soil extracts, inhibitory effects of peat extracts were more apparent with isolates from nodules from mineral soils than from peat, suggesting that survival ofFrankia on peat may be improved by strain selection.

SPATIAL VARIABILITY OF HEAVY METALS IN SOIL ON A ONE-HECTARE SCALE

We studied the spatial variability of heavy metals (Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) in a small (1-ha) forested plot on acid brown earth soils with granite underneath. The sampling pattern consists of a nested sampling to describe the spatial variability from 0 to about 60 m. Analytical errors are not statistically different from spatial variability of Zn and, to a lesser extent, of Pb. Spatial variances of Cu, Ni, and Cd are higher than analytical variances, but do not show a spatial structure, so that only random models- pure nugget effect -can fitted to the variograms. With the exception of Cd, for which spatial variance is very high, this study shows that a limited number of samples is sufficient to assess a mean value for heavy metal contents in this plot. Moreover, in all cases, variance observed at the very center of this plot (set of nine data) is not statistically different from the samples collected throughout the entire plot (65 data). This means that spatial variability is due to a heterogeneity at a microscopic scale. Samples collected at close distances can be considered as independent experiments, normally distributed. Two particle-size fractions, namely coarse silt and coarse sand, showmore » a definite spatial structure, with a linear drift, which has no bearing on other variables and particularly heavy metals. Nickel, Cu, and Zn are positively intercorrelated and are negatively correlated with organic matter. Lead and Cd are not correlated with each other or with any other variable.« less

Viability of an ectomycorrhizal inoculum produced in a liquid medium and entrapped in a calcium alginate gel

Survival of Hebeloma crustuliniforme (Bulliard ex Fries) Quelet, grown in a liquid medium and subsequently entrapped in beads of calcium alginate, was tested under different conditions. Mycelium viability was not affected either by curing the beads for up to 22 h in 0.7 M CaCl2 or by the addition of either peat or bentonite to the alginate gel. Both peat and bentonite improved the water retention of the alginate gel, but only the incorporation of bentonite slowed down the rate at which moisture was lost by evaporation. At 4 °C the entrapped mycelium retained its viability for at least 5 months, provided that storage conditions remained humid. Partial drying of the beads reduced the effective storage time to a month. Emergence of hyphae from the beads was influenced by the presence of sterile soil extracts prepared from a podzolic soil, an acid brown earth, a mesotrophic brown earth, an eutrophic brown earth, and a rendzina. Hyphae grew out of all the beads containing peat irrespective of the type of soil extract but only grew out of those containing bentonite when they were on the mesotrophic brown earth extract. Hyphal emergence from beads containing neither peat nor bentonite appeared to be influenced by the pH of the extract, being better on those that were more acidic. Both sterile and nonsterile nursery soil supported growth of hyphae from the three types of bead, but on nonsterile soil, hyphae were not abundant and those that developed began to die off sooner than those on sterile soil.

Expected speciation of dissolved trace metals in gravitational water of acid soil profiles

Typical compositions of major and minor components of gravitational water in the various horizons of two acid soils (an acid brown earth and a humo-ferrugineous podzol), available from other studies, are used to calculate the expected dissolved speciation of selected trace metals, assuming rapid equilibrium. The weakest reported binding constants between trace metals and dissolved organic matter in soils were used in the speciation calculations using the computer program ADSORP2. In spite of the weak constants used, organic complexes are significant species of trace metals in both soil types. They are always much more abundant than inorganic complexes and in some cases (Cu and Pb in podzol A 1 horizon) they are even present in amounts similar to the free metal. The fate of the trace metals associated with the dissolved organic matter should follow the dynamics and evolution of their organic vectors. The free metal fraction whose size depends on the organic complexation constants, is available for either biological uptake (including upward recycling, a significant phenomenon in acid brown soils) or for further downward migration.

Weathering and mass balance in small drainage basins : environmental applications in the Bohemian Massif (Central Europe). Altération et bilan de masse dans de petits bassins de drainage : applications au Massif bohémien (Europe centrale)

Data on inputs and outputs of chemical elements in small representative basins are used to demonstrate the application of mass balance equation to : (1) Evaluation of the rates of weathering and erosion, (2) Proton balance in acidified forested and agricultural basins, (3) Estimation of dry deposition of S0₂ and acumulation of sulphur in soil, (4) Derivation of rate constants of dissolution of feldspars. Specific mass balance equations are derived for all the cases. Calculations are performed step by step to serve as a guide for similar calculations by interested reader. The mathematical models are tested using field data from small catchments in the Bohemian Massif and the methods of gathering the data are described. The bedrock of the tested basins is biotitic gneiss. It is covered by regolith with well developed typical and acid brown earths. The basins represent forested and arable land which receives various doses of dry S0₂ emitted to atmosphere by industry. The mass balance calculations indicate that the rate of weathering of bedrock has been increased twice by modern agriculture and acid industrial depositions. Only 9 to 21 % of weathered rock are removed by chemical erosion in true solution while the rest is fixed in regolith as secondary and residual solids and minerals. The particles are removed by mechanical erosion. The environmental acidification is caused mainly by dry depositions of S02 and in lesser degree by acid rain and deposition of nitrogen oxides. The dissolution rate of oligoclase in bedrock derived from the measured fluxes of sodium is about two orders of magnitude lower then the rate determined by laboratory experiments with freshly ground feldspars. The processes and mass balance of weathering, erosion and environmental acidification strongly depend on the properties of the interface between minerals and natural aqueous solutions. A further research should be directed towards better understanding of the surface chemistry of the interface under field conditions.

Increases in extractable sulphate following soil submergence with water, dilute sulphuric acid or acid rain

A marked increase in the concentration of LiCl-extractable sulphate occurred when samples of two acid brown earth soils (one from a site exposed to heavy atmospheric pollution and the other from a relatively unpolluted site) were waterlogged in the laboratory with either deionized water, dilute sulphuric acid (pH 4·0) or acid rain (pH 3·8). The greatest increases in sulphate concentration occurred in the heavily polluted soils. However, no similar increases were found when two neutral loam soils were waterlogged. The pH of the brown earths increased on waterlogging, while soil Eh fell, but only slowly. Sulphate reduction eventually occurred in the brown earths following most treatments, resulting in a decrease in sulphate concentration. No free H 2S was evolved under these conditions, however. The acid rain treatment had the same effect as dilute sulphuric acid and deionized water on sulphate transformations in these woodland soils. The increases in the concentration of LiCl-extractable sulphate which occur when brown earths are waterlogged appear to result from a combination of organic sulphur mineralisation and increased desorption of adsorbed sulphate.

Der Totalpbergsturz bei Davos aus bodenkundlicher Sicht

Abstract. The soils of a deposition hill of an ancient mountain slide, from a serpentinitic region called Totalp, were investigated and mapped. The investigation area lies east of Wolfgang (1631 m above sea level) near Davos, Switzerland. In spite of the subalpine climate, which generates iron-humus-podsols on acid Silicates, acid brown earth was found on serpentinitic parent material. Slightly visible eluvial horizons that were found occasionally below the raw humus consisted primarily of quartzsilt, which was thought to be of aeolian origin. Mapping elucidated the boundary between two mountain slide depositions. The first slide to occur (deposition area: Drussetschawald/Lusiwald) consisted mainly of acid Silicates mixed with some serpentinite, whereas the slide that followed (Delenwald/Budlerboden) consisted of pure serpentinite. This second slide only covered the first marginally.

Potential pasture production in the uplands of Wales

AbstractOnly a very limited number of species, including red fescue (Festuca rubra), perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne), timothy (Phleum protense) and white clover (Trifolium repens) are considered as suitable for wet hill land. Detailed comparison of red fescue, perennial ryegrass and timothy on contrasting acid brown earth and stagnogley soils from 1966 to 1969 at Pant‐y‐dŵr Hill Centre (305 m OD) highlighted the advantages of red fescue in annual DM production and its more even distribution over a longer growing season but also indicated drawbacks of slow initial establishment and lower feed quality. In vitro DOMD of red fescue averaged 645 g kg−1 over the year compared with 690 g kg−1 for perennial ryegrass and timothy. Assessment of a narrow range of species under surface seeding conditions on a stagnogley soil from 1971 to 1975 confirmed the value of red fescue in DM production and persistence. The results are discussed in relation to the characteristics required in herbage species for hill land improvement.

Chemical and mineralogical properties of sandy and loamy‐sandy ochreous brown earths in relation to incipient podzolization in a brown earth—podzol evolutive sequence

SummaryChemical and mineralogical properties of ochreous brown earths have been studied with particular reference to: (1) the distribution within the profiles of Fe and Al compounds; (2) the occurrence of smectite‐like clay minerals in surface horizons.Ochreous brown earths studied belong to a developmental sequence of forest soils, from acid brown earths to ferric podzols, developed on sandy or loamy‐sandy acid parent materials. In such a soil sequence, both selective chemical and mineralogical data show clearly that podzolization is already active in ochreous brown earths, whereas such an incipient podzolization is quite undetectable by direct morphological observations.The distribution patterns of amorphous Fe and Al hydrous oxides and organic associations, clearly show the intergrade character of ochreous brown earths, when compared with the vertical distribution of Fe and Al forms in acid brown earths and podzolized soils. The Fe/Al ratio of both an NH4‐oxalate extract and an NaOH/Na‐tetraborate extract buffered at pH 9.7, measured in the A1B diagnostic horizon of ochreous brown earths, is a particularly appropriate and useful genetic criterion for the detection of incipient podzolization.Moreover, the presence of expansible clay minerals (degradation smectites) in the clay‐sized fraction of the surface horizons of ochreous brown earths (A1 and A1B) can be considered as supplementary evidence of incipient podzolization.

Schwefel in Waldböden Nordwest-Deutschlands und seine vegetationsabhängige Akkumulation

Amounts of total sulfur and sulfate (NaHCO3-extractable) were determined in soil samples from 19 representative profiles under forest vegetation in the areas of pleistocene and of the triassic middle range mountains in Germany. The mean total sulfur contents in surface and subsurface samples were 278 and 136 μg S/g soil respectively. The total amount of sulfate and its fraction in the total sulfur was low in the surface samples. The subsurface soil samples of pH>5 contained very little sulfate. The difference between total sulfur and NaHCO3-extractable sulfate described as nonsulfate fraction was mainly constituted by the fraction of organic sulfur. The mean C:N:S ratio (sulfur as nonsulfate) for samples with carbon content more than 2% was 225∶10∶1.14. Compared with the parent material there was an accumulation of S in the acid brown earths developed from loess. Comparison of the sites with beech and spruce vegetation showed that the amount of nonsulfate-sulfur was of the same magnitude in both sites, but the amount of sulfate was higher in the spruce area. Similar differences between a beech and a spruce site were also observed for soils developed from weathered sandstone. The high amounts of sulfate under spruce are probably the result of higher inputs in the area due to the ‘filtering action’ of the spruce trees on emitted SO2.

Retention of sulphate by an acid brown earth and its relationship with the atmospheric input of sulphur to forest vegetation

AbstractIn soil samples of an acid brown earth the sulphate retention was studied as a function of sulphate concentration and pH of the soil solution. The soil under two forest covers (spruce and beech), has. shown distinct variation in its sulphate retention characteristics. The soil under spruce, due to the greater filtering action of vegetation, receives higher inputs of sulphate und hydrogen ions and shows higher amounts of retained sulphate. The uppermost 10 cm soil samples from both sites do not retain any sulphate when its concentration in the solution phase is increased. In samples from greater depths, the retention of sulphate is accompanied by a change in pH of the soil solution. The maximum retention occurs at pH 4, and soil samples from under beech retain higher amounts of sulphate than those under spruce for a corresponding depth and similar conditions of H+ addition. Desorption of newly retained sulphate followed in some samples the concentration relationship found in the adsorption experiment without any hysteresis, but the desorption of initially present sulphate indicates that two different forms of sulphate, weakly‐and tightly‐bound, may be existing in these soils.

Utilization for agriculture and forestry of Graulehme, Tertiary paleosols in central Europe

The Graulehme (grey loams) are relict soils or paleosols formed during the Tertiary or earlier but persisting locally on land surfaces. Thus, for example, the Permotriassic peneplain of the Rhinish Massif in Germany was mantled by deep soils during most of the Tertiary, but these were largely removed during a period of uplift and dissection in the Late Tertiary and the Pleistocene. Graulehme remained on the parts of the massif that lagged behind in the general uplift and therefore suffered little erosion. These paleosols now occupy the flat and low-lying positions in the landscape. Other components of the soil pattern are Rankers, acid brown earths and Rotlehme, the last also being paleosois but of limited extent. The Graulehme are high in silt and clay, plastic, virtually impermeable and low in base saturation and plant nutrients. Consequently, the soils are not suitable for cultivation generally. Exceptions are local bodies of the paleosols where materials from acid brown earths have been mixed with or mantle the Graulehme. The paleosols are suitable for pasture without drainage but require lime, complete fertilizer and modern management. The Graulehme are also suitable for forestry. Spruce is the best adapted species, but beech and oak can also be grown.

Effect of fertilizer phosphorus on transport of P and other ions through an undisturbed column of an acid brown earth

AbstractApplication of mono‐calcium phosphate (500 kg P/ha) to undisturbed soil columns of an acid brown earth under steady state unsaturated flow conditions (6 mm/day) showed that phosphorus was leached up to a depth of 19.5 cm after 96 days when 4 pore volumes of water were replaced. Among the cations studied, Al < Mg < Mn < Na were lost in that order‐ the amount of calcium retained was much higher than the amount of cations lost. A significant increase in the concentration of Si in the leachates was observed together with the decrease in H ions. The possible predominant processes occurring in the column have been discussed.

POTENTIAL PASTURE PRODUCTION IN THE UPLANDS OF WALES

ABSTRACTThe DM and N contribution of S184 white clover in mixed ryegrass/clover swards was recorded at Pant‐y‐dwr Hill Centre (305 m) for 4 years, 1967–70. By direct comparison with fertilized grass swards it was estimated that the clover N contribution on peaty gley soil averaged 100 kg N/ha per year (89 Ib N/ac) under cutting and 98 kg N/ha (87 ib/ac) under grazing with faecal return. On more fertile acid brown earth the corresponding contributions were 81 and 90 kg N/ha (72 and 80 Ib/ac). Full replacement of clover by N fertilizer would require average annual applications of 268, 229, 156 and 128 kg fertilizer N/ha, respectively (239, 204, 139 and 114 Ib N/ac).