Acid Brown Forest Soil Research Articles

Ion dynamics in acid forest soils as affected by addition of Ca fertilizers

Ca fertilizers may be used as tools to improve the chemical status of acidic, base poor forest soils. The downward movement of ions after addition of CaCO 3, CaCO 3 + MgO, and CaS0 4 · 2H 2O was studied by monitoring the leachate composition from three types of columns — A1/B, mull/A1/B and moder/A1/B — reconstructed from an acid brown forest soil profile. The fertilizers were surface-applied at rates of 0, 0.56, 2.80 and 5.60 t ha −1 equivalent CaO, and the treated columns were leached with local rainfall in an open-air nursery during a 20-month period. For all column types and rates of application, the leaching of Ca increased in the order: control < CaCO 3 + MgO < CaCO 3 < CaSO 4 · 2H 2O. Retention of solubilized Ca from gypsum was mainly achieved by simple exchange with resident cations, with no major pH change relative to the control. The elution of Ca and desorbed cations with predominantly SO 4 2− anions resulted in an important increase in total cationic mobilization compared to the control. Due to kinetic restraints and strong buffering by the soil, the downward movement of Ca (from CaCO 3) and Mg (from MgO) ions was greatly limited. The mobility of Mg ions from CaCO 3 + MgO was however much greater than that of Ca, despite considerably larger inputs of the latter. In the leachates from the columns without humus, total Al concentrations decreased exponentially with increase in pH. For the other column types the reduced Al leaching, when observed, was not associated to any major pH increase. Gypsum application depressed nitrification but increased DOC leaching relative to the control. Liming generally had no or little influence on either NO 3 − or DOC leaching, but increased SO 4 2− mobilization in some cases. Total cation leaching from the non gypsum-treated columns was chiefly affected by NO 3 − dynamics. Varying the rate of fertilizer application did not modify the mechanisms involved in the downward movement of the various fertilizers, but could influence the intensity of the processes as well as the rate of soil chemical evolution.

Modelling seasonal nitrogen, carbon, water and heat dynamics of the Solling spruce stand

Daily flows of water, heat, carbon and nitrogen from 1976 until 1991 were simulated with the one-dimensional models soil —soiln for a 105-year-old spruce stand on an acid brown forest soil at Solling (central Germany). Nitrogen deposition in the area exceeded 40 kg N ha −1 yr −1. Comparisons were made with measured soil water tensions, chloride and mineral nitrogen concentrations in soil water, and tree biomass components. Down to 60-cm depth, the simulated soil water tensions agreed well with measured data when a summer surface resistance of 125 s m −1 was used to calculate potential transpiration. Modelling efficiency (an indicator of agreement between simulations and measurements) for pF-values of soil water tensions ranged from 0.55 to 0.87. At 100-cm depth, the modelling efficiency was only 0.15. The mean value of the chloride concentrations were, at the same time, underestimated. The average deep percolation was 38% of the precipitation. A lower summer surface resistance of 80 s m −1 was necessary to increase the agreement between simulated and measured chloride concentrations, which decreased the deep percolation to 31% of the precipitation. On average, simulation resulted in an accumulation of N in trees (21 kg N ha −1 yr −1 but a decrease of N in soil (7 kg N ha −1 yr −1). Simulated leaching was high (27 kg N ha −1 yr −1) and probably overestimated due to overestimated soil nitrate concentrations below the root zone. To evaluate the carbon and nitrogen model, too few detailed measurements were available on, especially, plant N uptake and amounts of soil mineral N.

The solubility of aluminum in acidic forest soils: Long-term changes due to acid deposition

Despite the ecological and pedogenic importance of Al, its solubility control in acidic forest soils is poorly understood. Here we discuss the solubility of Al and its development with time in three acid brown forest soils in The Netherlands, which are under extreme acidification from atmospheric deposition. All soil solutions (to a 60 cm depth) were undersaturated with respect to synthetic gibbsite (Al(OH) 3; log K = 9.12 at 8°C), with the highest degree of undersaturation occurring in the surface soil. In about one third of the individual soil layers a significant positive correlation existed between the activity of Al 3+ and H +, but this relationship was far less than cubic. Kinetically constrained dissolution of Al is unlikely to explain the disequilibrium with respect to gibbsite, because undersaturation was highest through summer when water residence times were longest and temperatures greatest. Time series analysis of six year data sets for several soil layers revealed a significant annual decline in soil solution pH and Al solubility (defined as log Al + 3 pH) despite a constant concentration of strong acid anions. The annual decline of both pH and Al solubility was greatest in the surface soil and was positively correlated with the relative depletion of reactive organically bound soil Al. The results support our earlier hypothesis that in strongly acidified forest soils complexation by solid phase organics controls the solubility of Al even in mineral soil layers, relatively low in organic C. The data lend no support to the current widespread and often uncritical use of gibbsite as a model for the Al solubility in highly acidic forest soils (pH < 4.5) of the temperate zone.

Comparison of two methods of preparation of humic and fulvic acids, IHSS method and NAGOYA method

Abstract Two methods for preparing soil humus samples, NAGOYA (Nagoya University) method and IHSS (International Humic Substances Society) method, were compared using A-horizons of an acid brown forest soil and an ando soil. Alkali-extractable humus was recovered more effectively by the NAGOYA method, while the IHSS method recovered only 80 and 26% of the maximum yield by extraction with 0.1 N NaOH from both soils, respectively. The recoveries of fulvic acids (FAs) by the IHSS method in which XAD-8 was used as adsorbent to obtain only humic substances in the FA fraction from the brown forest soil and the ando soil were only 1/5 and 1/40, respectively, of those by the NAGOYA method in which the whole FA fraction was recovered. The FAs obtained by the NAGOYA method were further fractionated into adsorbed and non-adsorbed fractions with XAD-8 or insoluble polyvinylpyr-rolidone (PVP). The recoveries of the XAD-8-adsorbed fraction increased 3.8 and 26 times by changing the volumes of the extractant and adsorbe...

Properties and classification of selected volcanic ash soils from Abashiri, Northern Japan—transition of Andisols to Mollisols

Abstract Properties and classification of four selected volcanic ash soils from Abashiri, Hokkaido were studied and the transition of Andisols to Mollisols was discussed. Two of the four pedons (Brown Andosol and Cumulic Andosol)1 showed morphological, clay mineralogical, physical, and chemical properties common to most Andisols in Japan. However, the properties of the other two pedons (Acid Brown Forest soil and Brown Forest soil)1 were considerably different from those of common Andisols in Japan. It was found that the changes in the andic soil properties or transition of Andisols to Mollisols was closely related to the progression of clay weathering, mainly the transformation of noncrystalline clay materials to halloysite. One of the four pedons (Brown Forest soil)1had the clay fraction dominated by halloysite from the uppermost horizon down to the bottom of the profile and satisfied both andic and mollic requirements. Thus we concluded that the pedon is a transitional soil between Andisols and Mollisols and that the transition is closely related to the duration of surface weathering under relatively weak leaching conditions. The four pedons were classified according to the Andisol Proposal (Leamy et al. 1988, New Zealand Soil Bureau) as follows: Pedon 1: Medial, amorphic (allophane/imogolite), frigid Typic Hapludand (Brown Andosol).1 Pedon 2: Medial, amorphic (allophane/imogolite), frigid Typic Melanudand (Cumulic Andosol).1 Pedon 3: Medial, amorphic (allophane/ imogolite), over kandic, frigid Typic Melanudand (Acid Brown Forest soil).1 Pedon 4: Medial, kandic, frigid Typic Hapludand (Brown Forest soil).1

Effects of liming on soil acidity and beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) regeneration on acid soils in south Swedish beech forests

The soils of four experimental blocks in Scanian beech forests of the Deschampsia flexuosa (L.) Trin. and Lamium galeobdolon (L.) L. types were scarified and limed with three replicates of four dolomitic lime treatments (controls included) per block and then analysed with respect to the soil acidity status in order to reveal the effects on beech regeneration. Beech seedlings were counted and measured annually 1984–1988. pH, exchangeable acidity and Al3+ of the humus and mineral layers were affected by the dolomitic lime treatment. Liming applied at seed fall showed no major effects on beech regeneration. Seedlings had a tendency to grow faster on an acid brown forest soil than on podzols. Scarification improved the establishment of seedlings. The proportion of browsed seedlings was unrelated to the amount of lime. After four years browsing had reduced the average height of affected seedlings by 6 cm.

酸性雨による森林被害

Present situations of forest damage in the United States and in Europe were outlined. From the data it was indicated that foliar injury or inhibition of growth of plants were detected by the exposure to acid rain below pH 3.0. Effects of acid rain on forest ecosystems were summarized as follows: (1) Depositions of air pollutants on forest floors were much larger in coniferous forests than in broadleaved forests, (2) Base cation leaching from leaf surface and soil layers were increased by acid rain below pH 4.(3) Extractions of exchangeable Al from soil were increased below 5 in soil pH in acidic brown forest soil, where the deposition of SO4-S of 100gS/m2 land area will decrease to 5 in soil pH. It was estimated that the mentioned amount of SO4-S deposition will attain in 30 years in cryptomeria forests and in 40 years in Quercus forests in Tokyo. However, several possibilities to induce forest decline have been proposed by resent works in U. S. and in Europe, where principal pathways to cause forest decline are still unclarified. Perspectives of future needs of countermeasures in our country were also discussed.

The effect of “Build-up” P-K-fertilization on the cellulolytic activity of some soil types

Summary In field experiments on 3 typical Hungarian soils (acid brown forest soil, calcareous chernozem, calcareous sandy soil) the effect of N-, P- and K-fertilization on the cellulolytic activity of the soil, furthermore the interaction between the latter and the grain yield of winter barley, winter wheat and maize were studied. It can be stated that the soil microorganisms need a similar level of nutrient supply to display a more intensive activity as the higher agricultural plants do to bring a higher yield. The one-sided fertilization with high doses causes a depression in the microorganisms, as it appears in the case of the agricultural plants, too. Thus, the biological testing of the soil may serve in some cases, under the conditions of intensive fertilization, as an index of the soil fertility level. Yet the data gained by the cellulose-test cannot be adapted to the fertilizer recommandation system, because they depend very much on soil properties, climatic conditions, etc. of the experimental places. For diagnostic purposes, however (e.g. to detect unfertile parts of field), it may be used as an index-value of soil fertility.

Use of catechol solutions as extractants for mobilisable iron in forest soils

Abstract Recent work has focussed attention on the use of a plethora of inorganic extracts for characterizing iron in soil. Concern surrounds the disparity between the amounts of iron extracted by these reagents and (i) field identification of podzolic or spodic horizons and (ii) iron mobilization processes thought to be occurring naturally in soils. It is suggested here that a simple, organic extractant may be more suitable, particularly for characterizing natural iron mobilisation processes. A synthetic catechol extractant is compared to the iron extractabilities of (i) standard inorganic methods using sodium dithionlte and sodium pyrophosphate and (ii) aqueous leaf leachates. Catechol solutions and aqueous solutions from fresh oak leaves and pine needles extracted similar amounts of iron from A and B horizons of acid brown forest soils in Leigh Woods, South West England. Potassium pyrophosphate solution extracted on average twice as much iron as the organic solutions and sodium dithionite solution diss...

Seasonal fluctuations in numbers of aerobic bacteria and their spores in four horizons of a beech forest soil

This paper reports a 3-yr study of the numbers of bacteria and spores in a beech forest soil, their patterns of distribution, abundance, and fluctuations, and discusses the factors responsible for the fluctuations. There was an abundant bacterial population in the acid brown forest soil, despite its low pH. There were significant differences in the numbers of bacteria between soil horizons, but differences in the numbers of bacterial spores were less pronounced. The numbers of bacteria in the surface horizons fluctuated, with peaks occurring twice a year: the higher peaks occurred after leaf-fall in autumn, and the smaller peaks occurred in spring at the time of leaf-burst and rapid development of understory vegetation. After a severe attack on the beech trees by larvae of Dasychira pudibunda L. in the summer of 1973, the peaks in autumn did not reach the same levels as in other years, indicating the importance of perturbations in leaf-fall to fluctuations in bacterial numbers.

Weathering Process of Acid Brown Forest Soil Derived from Obsidian

Weathering Process of Acid Brown Forest Soil Derived from Obsidian

Effects of incubation on forms of phosphorus added to an acid brown forest soil in Czechoslovakia

The effects of farmyard manure (FYM) and concentrated superphosphate (CSP) on the proportions of different fractions of inorganic P with the passage of time were studied through incubation of samples of an acid (pH 4.8, KCl) brown forest soil of Czechoslovakia. The application of FYM and CSP, either singly or in combination, resulted in appreciable increases in different forms of P over the controls. The amounts of P added to soil through FYM and CSP were recovered mainly in the (NH 4) 2SO 4-, CH 3COOH-, NH 4F- and NaOH-soluble fractions, whereas recovery in the H 2SO 4-soluble fraction was very small. The highest recovery of added P was in the (NH 4) 2SO 4-soluble fraction. The different fractions of P in the untreated as well as the incubated samples ranked in the order of NaOH-soluble P > (NH 4) 2SO 4-soluble P > NH 4F-soluble P > H 2SO 4-soluble P > CH 3COOH-soluble P, except after 15 and 45 days of incubation when CH 3COOH-soluble P was higher than the H 2SO 4-soluble fraction in samples that had received CSP and FYM+CSP. With prolongation of incubation time there was a decrease in (NH 4) 2SO 4-, CH 3COOH- and NH 4F-soluble P and a continuous increase in NaOH-soluble P, irrespective of treatments. The H 2SO 4-soluble P changed little during incubation. The use of FYM alone or with CSP resulted in a slower rate of decrease in the forms of P extracted with (NH 4) 2SO 4. Moreover, in the control the decrease in (NH 4) 2SO 4-, CH 3COOH- and NH 4F-soluble P and the consequent increase in the NaOH-soluble fraction were more pronounced after 90 and 180 days of incubation.

北海道北部におけるＥａｒｔｈ Ｈｕｍｍｏｃｋについて

The author found that earthy mounds develop in some areas of northern Hokkaido, especially on the terraces along the Okhotsk sea. These mounds are semiellipsoidal in shape and very similar to so-called earth hummocks. The mean hight of the mounds is 58.8cm at Ashino, Sarufutsu and 48.5cm at Hamatonbetsu, respectively, and the mean ratio of the long axis to the short axis is 1.59 for the former case and 1.62 for the latter.These mounds are distributed in the direction from NW to SE in the both areas.The micromorphological features of the core sample did not show any fluidal structure and ped distribution signed fragmental structure. With regard to the genetic soil type, the soil profiles of these earth hummocks are similar to acid brown forest soils or pseudogley soils.

Combination reaction between humic acid and calcium ions

Abstract In the previous paper (1), liming an acid humus volcanic ash soil resulted in the formation of humic acids combined with calcium, but had no significant effect on acid brown forest soils containing humic acids of a lower degree of humification. Subsequently, the authors examined the humus composition of the soils treated with calcium acetate, and conducted some experiments on the combination reaction between humic acid and calcium ions. The results obtained are presented in this paper.

Weathering of liparitic-welded tuff

Abstract The degree of chemical weathering has been calculated from chemical analytical data on an A12O3 base, but the author used quartz insted of A12O3 because, the state of A12O3 is not constant. As an example, he used a soil profile derived from biotite-liparitic-welded tuff from Mt. Tokachi at Biel Tw. and studied it genetically. He decided it belonged to acid brown forest soil. The plagioclase content diminishes towards the surface but 14 and 7Å minerals increase and are more obvious in the upper profile than in the A/B horizon. The volume change of each horizon in consequence of soil genesis was calculated by volume density and quartz content and the results indicated that the surface horizon and B horizons to 2.7 and 1.5-1.6 times the volume of the parent material, respectively. Recalculation of the data of the chemical analysis taking volume change into consideration showed some tendency towards the eluviation of the combined SiO2 in the A horizon. The author would consider this phenomenon as lessivage.

Polysaccharide constituents in fulvic and humic acids extracted from soil

Soil humic materials extracted from three dissimilar soil profiles were studied by infra-red spectroscopy. Carbohydrates in the form of polysaccharides were present in close relation or as constituent components in the fulvic and hymatomelanic acids encountered in both the surface and deeper layers of the soils examined. The fractionation procedure that yielded polysaccharide from hymatomelanic acid failed to do so when used on humic acid. At least two kinds of polysaccharides were encountered - those from fulvic acid, with a single peak at 1,650 cm −1, and those from hymatomelanic acid, with twin peaks at 1,650 cm −1 and 1,400 cm −1. Fulvic acid in acid brown forest soil formed under pine vegetation had a stronger phenolic or lignoid character and a weaker polysaccharide character than did fulvic acid in a chestnut and an alluvial soil formed under grass vegetation. This difference was especially pronounced in the surface soil, but disappeared in the subsoil. The infra-red spectra of polysaccharides in the hymatomelanic acids of the surface layers of the three soils were, however, surprisingly similar.

THE USE OF pH-DEPENDENT CATION-EXCHANGE CAPACITY FOR CHARACTERIZING THE B HORIZONS OF BRUNISOLIC AND PODZOLIC SOILS

A study was made of the pH-dependent C.E.C. as a means of characterizing and differentiating the B horizons of Brunisolic and Podzolic soils. The pH values were measured in 0.01 M CaCl2 after which the soils were extracted with Nacl to determine the percentage base saturation and sum of exchangeable cations. The total C.E.C. values were determined with Ca(OAc)2 + CaCl2 at pH 7 of the untreated soil and of the soils after H2O2 treatment, after extraction with acid ammonium oxalate, and after heating at 200 °C in an atmosphere of N2. The pH-dependent C.E.C. represented by the difference between the C.E.C value determined with Ca(OAc)2 + CaCl2 and the sum of cations extracted with NaCl was found to be small for the B horizons of Brown Forest and Brown Wooded soils. The B horizons of Podzol, Humic Podzol, Acid Brown Wooded, Concretionary Brown, and some Acid Brown Forest soils had high pH-dependent C.E.C. The horizons with high pH-dependent C.E.C. contained significant quantities of amorphous sesquioxide–organic complexes as shown by their relatively high organic matter and free sesquioxide contents and by their exchange properties. The pH-dependent charge appeared to be as effective a primary chemical means of characterizing horizons with spodic properties as were techniques based on the effects of free oxide extraction or heating in N2 on the exchange capacity.

On the genesis and classification of soils derived from andesitic tuffs under humid tropical conditions.

The classification distinguishes humic grey-brown podzolic soils at 1, 600-1, 300 m, grey-brown podzolic soils at 1, 300-1, 000 m, acid brown forest soils at 1, 000-600 m, podzolic brown latosols at 600-300 m and latosolic soils at 300 m to sea level. Morphological and chemical data are discussed with reference to destruction of organic matter, diffusion of the CO2 produced and type of clay mineral present. (Abstract retrieved from CAB Abstracts by CABI’s permission)