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Acidic Soils |
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In this new century, the scientific world has faced many new developments and changes that have eased the lives of men. From genetic engineering of fruits to inventions of new gadgets. In this world, the population of mankind is increasing day by day and the world food production throughout various countries is increasing to feed man and new genetic inventions have been made to improvise foods as the population becomes more health conscious. The population has also become business minded and everyday strive to look for new and faster ways to make foods or grow raw vegetables and fruits to export and as a result due to global warming men have suddenly become aware of all the destruction going on in the environment and are striving to look for ecofriendly methods and have invented technology on how to make the environment a greener place bearing in mind, the business !--object--ive. One major field is the growth of fruits and vegetables in different types of soils and climates all around the world. Certain fruits can only be grown in certain places due to the condition of soil and climate and humidity factors. Many fruits grow in acidic soil, and different types of vegetation require different PH levels of acid or alkali in the soil. In many parts of the world mostly slightly acidic soil is found. As much use the acidic soils have, they?re high acidic level is a threat to mankind as our bodies are not accustomed to these chemicals and they also affect our food and health and on some levels also lead to various types of poisoning. What makes soil acidic? In this century, many new inventions and machinery have been made that emit smoke and other gases in the air and factories dump acidic chemicals into the environment and due to these factors soils are been affected. The four main reasons why sols are acidic is because of 1. Rainfall 2. Acidic parent material 3. Organic matter decay 4. Harvest of high yielding crops 5. Use of fertilizers Emissions of acidic gases such as sulphur dioxide from industrial processes, carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide from fumes of factories and cars, hydrogen chloride and many more which are obtained through various processes like burring garbage, or fumes form cars and factories. All this gases rise up into the atmosphere and mix with the water vapor used to make the cloud droplets which fall as rainfall thus leading to acid rain which makes the rain acidic as it falls on the soil. Sandy soils are often the first to become acidic because water percolates rapidly, and sandy soils contain only a small reservoir of bases due to low clay and organic matter contents. Since the effect of rainfall on acid soil development is very slow, it may take hundreds of years for new parent material to become acidic under high rainfall. That?s why in developed countries such as England or Denmark, the soils are highly acidic and not all kinds of vegetation can grow there and therefore in third world countries such as countries in Africa such as Kenya which are not highly developed in the technological or industrial field have less levels of acid rain and have optimum PH levels for a wide variety of vegetation to grow whereas in first and second world countries, the soil states are too extreme for many types of vegetation and that?s why third world countries have a high export rate for organic raw vegetation. Another major factor is the parental material, due to differences in chemical composition of parent materials soils will become acidic after different lengths of time. Thus, soils that developed from granite material are likely to be more acidic than soils developed from calcareous shale or limestone. Decaying organic matter produces H+ is responsible for acidity. In all acids, there is hydrogen present and in particularly in acids there are H+ atoms which contribute to acidity. Alkaline sols contain OH- (hydroxides) which is used to neutralize the acid in some soils. Decaying organic matters produce a gas called carbon dioxide (CO2) which reacts with water in the soils to form weak acid as carbon dioxide is slightly acidic and forms an acid called carbonic acid. This is the same acid that develops when CO2 in the atmosphere reacts with rain to form acid rain naturally. Several organic acids are also produced by decaying organic matter, but they are also weak acids. Like rainfall, the contribution to acid soil development by decaying organic matter little, and can be accumulated after many years. Harvesting of crops has its effect on soil acidity development because crops absorb the lime-like elements for their nutrition. When these crops are harvested and the output is removed from the field, then some of the basic material responsible for counteracting (act ?against?) the acid developed by other processes is lost, and therefore soil acidity is increased. Increasing crop yields (output level) will cause greater amounts of basic material to be removed. In countries with high yielding forages, such as Bermuda grass or alfalfa, can cause soil acidity to develop faster than with other crops. Many farmers want huge harvest of fresh looking good fruits and vegetables to make them look appealing and for them to earn a good income. Many farmers engage in the use of fertilizers to help the crops grow. In using these, they are often extensively overused and they?re acidic chemicals and compounds make the soil acidic thus affecting our vegetation and environment. Fertilizers are generally quite dangerous because when you use them, they have other toxic chemicals in them and when they are overused in a certain crop and when you consume them, it can be quite poisonous. Increase in acidity has many negative effects that affect the environment and the health of the consumers. Different crops require different PH levels to grow. Like the human body, crops also have enzyme structures that help speed up reactions and they work at their optimum PH levels. If the acidity of the soil increases or decreases, the enzyme active site will permanently denature if the PH change is big or if it?s a small PH change, the enzyme will do its job of turning the substrate into a product and the reaction that particular enzyme carries out will be at a slower rate. Crops have a tolerance level, if the PH increases or decreases above the tolerance level the crop will be destroyed. Therefore as a result, the crop production will go down as the crops will either die out if the acidity level is too high or if the acidity level is not that high and is such that the crop can tolerate it, the crops will grow at a slightly slower rate compared to tits growth in soil with its optimum PH. Crops won?t be able to grow fully as required as it won?t be able to ?function properly in an uncomfortable environment (which in this case is the highly acidic soil)? leading to low turn outs and low levels of profits which eventually will affect food production throughout the world as it will be scarce leading to inflation and economic crises. It can also affect the state of crop e.g. It can cause Molybdenum deficiency in legumes and increase manganese toxity in plants. If the soil is too acidic, desertification can occur which leads to less rainfall, and this results in less vegetation and crop production that can lead to drought due to lack of rain and due to lack of food it can cause severe famine and basically reduces the productivity of the soil. Crops need nutrients to grow, and crops can easily access soil nutrients when the pH of your soil is just slightly acidic. Nitrogen is available to Crops when the soil pH is above 5.5, while phosphorus is available to plants when the soil pH is above 6. If the soil is below this, crops will struggle to get the nutrients that they need to grow and reproduce. At soil pH under 5.5, toxic dangerous materials are more readily available to Crops. When the pH is only slightly acidic, aluminum and manganese are bound in the soil structure, but as acidity increases they leach out. Heavy aluminum levels in the soil can make a Crops roots stop working well, meaning that the plant does not get adequate water or nutrients. Heavy manganese levels can yield Crops that are small and have poor color. What is being done in science to change the acidity of the soil? It is easy to make an acid soil less acid by adding Lime (Calcium hydroxide) but in small quantities for a period of time. Adding too much Lime at one time can scorch plant's roots as it is caustic. Small amounts at a time should be added and the pH regularly checked until it is the pH that you require. However Lime can be washed through the soil by rain. Applying Lime has other advantages for example, adding Lime to a heavy clay soil will help to bind particles together. Adding too much lime can be detrimental and lock up vital nutrients. Since lime is an alkali, you can add how much you need to neutralize the soil and the amount of lime you put will neutralize a certain amount of acid in the soil thus leading to a better soil for particular vegetation. To naturally increase the acidity level, you can add manure or urea. Other options include pine needles, shredded leaves, sulfur, sawdust and peat moss. Pine needles are a good source of acid and mulch. Peat moss with a pH of 3.0 is often recommended as a soil additive. How can this be used on a large scale and what impact may it make on the wider environment and economy? Many farmers need to reduce the amount of acid in the soil as 30% of the soil in the world is acidic. In fields that stretch for acres and acres, one possible solution to spread the lime treatment is to dissolve huge amounts of lime in water then spread it around the fields using sprinklers and in this way, many acres of land will have the optimum soil and this method is time efficient and saves on costs instead of hiring people to apply the lime in the soil which makes take many days especially in large areas. In third world countries, this treatment should be advertised and also the knowledge of using cow dung or manure or urea to make the soil acidic or lime to make it more alkaline and there should be public awareness for the farmers through booklets, advertisements (via television radio billboards) pamphlets or brochures and workshops should be organized for them to learn about it so the message and skills spread and in the process also increase literacy level and thus enable them to have good harvests. In this way, the country?s economy and G.D.P level will increase as there will be higher level of exports thus making the country wealthier. Since there will be a higher demand for lime, factories will produce more and when factories and companies are established to make slake lime, employment rate increases and there will be a call for engineers and environmental scientists to help improvise and invent more machinery that will help spread out the lime on a large area or device machines to help apply cow dung on large surface areas saving on hand labor. However, the farmers employed to put the slake lime by hand will lose their jobs as new quicker methods will replace them. Since the soils will have the optimum PH, the crops will be healthier since the PH levels are good, the growth may be faster and in the long run reduce food scarcity in the country. When we add manure or compost to the soil to neutralize the excess alkaline or make the soil more acidic, we are actually making the soil more fertile and improving its quality and the more we add these organic products, the finer the soil will become for the next batch of crops and also the environment will not be harmed as these organic substances can be broken down and are good nutrients in the soil to be taken up by plants. Since the conditions for the crops will be as required, we can be sure we are consuming healthy raw organic foods and not suffer from deficiencies or poisoning by consuming toxic chemicals found in very acidic soils and there will be less cases of food poisoning or even deaths rates. How can soils be naturally acidic? Naturally acid soils occur when bedrock from which the soil evolved provides the natural elements for acidity, when rainfall leaches or washes away basic elements in the soil, or when land has been naturally forested. It can also occur when the parent material is naturally acidic e.g. Granite. What other actions are required to prevent further acidification? In countries or places, where the soil becomes acidic and is not naturally acidic, the reason why the soil is acidic comes from a long way. Most of the reasons why the soil becomes acidic are from our own lifestyle and the activities we do. You may be shocked to learn that some of the small things you do in your life or those small warnings you dismiss contribute to acidic soils and environmental degration. Acid rain is a cause of acidic soils as the acidic water seeps and percolates into the soil. Acid rain is caused by the fumes from cars and factories. Every year people are buying more and more cars that emit toxic gases. One way to prevent this is buy fitting catalytic convertors in cars so that the acidic gases are not let out. It?s even better if you walk or cycle instead of using cars as its healthier and more eco-friendly as there are no poisonous fumes being released in the air. In many countries governments have restricted cars in some places forcing the locals to walk or take the city bus which is more convenient as it releases less fumes than if each and every person took their car to the same place and also saves on non-renewable resources. It has been proven that when you take a bus, the overall pollution is much more less than ten people taking their own cars individually and this cuts down on the amount if acid rain as there will be fewer fumes such as sulphur dioxide or oxides of nitrogen in the atmosphere and eventually less acidic soils. Factories and power station that release a great deal of acidic rain should put filters in the chimneys so that only safe gases are let out into the atmosphere. New fertilizers that are eco-friendly have been invented and the farmers should switch to them as they are not acidic and does affect the state of crop or soil negatively and in fact these fertilizers improve the state of soil and make it more fertile. Bio-fertilizers are made from biological wastes and they do not contain any chemicals. They are beneficial to the soil, as they enrich the soil with micro-organisms that help in producing organic nutrients, which in turn help the soil to fight diseases. Eco friendly fertilizer. They also restore the depleted nutrients of the soil. These are really good as they help farmers recover wasted or chemically destroyed land. The ingredients of bio-fertilizers are bacteria, fungi and cyanobacteria (blue-green algae). Plants have a special relationship with bacteria and fungi. They provide the plant with nutrition, resistance against diseases and the ability to combat worst climatic conditions. If farmers use these products, the soil will no longer be acidic but in developing countries these fertilizers are costly and not everyone can afford these so therefore the government should purchase them for the locals. The waste form factories is acidic and is normally dumped in the water but in many rural places where there are no water sources nearby, the waste is left to run off and the waste is normally highly acidic. Factories should treat and neutralize the waste before dumping it anywhere. factory waste. Countries affected by acidic soils Many countries suffer from acidic soils and have implanted various treatments to overcome this factor. The effects of acidic soils can mostly be seen in developing countries as they are trying to grow and improve their economy and avoid problems like famine or drought as that really affects their economy and when they have acidic soil, the food production goes down leading to famine and thus once again the country is severely affected. Once such country that really relies on crop production is Kenya, a country in East Africa. According to the National Development Plan (1997-2001), Kenya has since independence relied heavily on the agricultural sector as the base for economic growth, employment creation and foreign exchange generation. The contribution of the agricultural sector to real GDP growth has been higher vis-a-vis other sectors of the economy. Although agriculture's contribution to GDP growth has been declining over the past years, it remains one of the most important sectors driving economic growth and plays a central role in the employment generation. A large proportion of Kenya's labour force is based in rural areas. Available data show that small-scale agriculture absorbs the largest share of new additions to the labour force as well. Employment creation in the sector is expected to slow down in the future given the declining share of agriculture in GDP. Why there are acidic soils? Soils developed on non-calcareous parent materials are inherently acidic. In humid regions soils become acidic naturally due to leaching of basic cations (positive ions) under high rainfall conditions. In addition, reclaimed swamps (peats) and soils fertilised with acidifying fertilisers can become acidic with time. Gleysols (A soil greenish-blue-grey soil color due to wetland conditions) at Yala Swamp in the lake basin may be acidic due to peat in poorly drained conditions while most of the other areas are acidic due to leaching Where they are found? In the area around Mt.Kenya (soil is acidic due to volcanic ash), Northern Kenya, Rift valley and many other places. mount Kenya region. What should be done in that region? Liming: When lime (oxides, hydroxides or carbonate of calcium and magnesium) is added in acid soils with pH-H2O values less than 5.5, the soil pH will increase as well as nutrients (bases especially calcium and magnesium) availability to crops. Conventional soil and water management practices: Conventional soil and water management practices such as terracing, contour farming, use of fertilizers, trashlines, stonelines and grass strips among others are applicable to management of acidic soils. China Agriculture is an important economic sector of China, employing over 300 million farmers. China ranks first in worldwide farm output, primarily producing rice, wheat, potatoes, sorghum, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, cotton, oilseed, pork, and fish. Where and Why there are acidic soils and the effects? Chinese agriculture has intensified greatly since the early 1980s on a limited land area with large inputs of chemical fertilizers. Grain production and fertilizer nitrogen consumption reached 502 Mt and 32.6 Mt respectively in 2007, increasing 54 and 191 percent since 1981. High levels of Nitrogen fertilizer can acidify soils both directly and indirectly, and the rates of Nitrogen applied in some regions are very high compared with those of North America and Europe. This has degraded soils and environmental quality in the North China Plain and the Taihu Lake region in south China, traditionally famous for its scenic beauty but now infamously putrid and polluted. degraded soil. Dr Zang stated that ?Serious soil acidification will threaten food security and environmental safety worldwide. Our work has shown that soil quality or soil health should be paid more attention in intensive agricultural production systems receiving high nitrogen and other resource inputs.? What should be done? China should invest and encourage the use of organic fertilizers to reduce the amount of nitrogen in the soil. That way, there will be less amount of chemical content in the soil and the crops won?t be badly affected or poisoned. Generally the acidity of the soil has to be reduced to have higher crop production and also to avoid poisoned crops. Too much acidity in crops can affect our health in a negative way. Bibliography http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~blpprt/acidity2_review.html http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/IB_Biology/Option_G_-_Ecology_and_Conservation http://www.i-sis.org.uk/full/chinasSoilRuinedFull.php?printing=yes http://hubcap.clemson.edu/~blpprt/acidity2_review.html http://www.agriculturalproductsindia.com/fertilizers/fertilizers-bio-fertilizer.html |
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16 Comments
Thank you for sharing.
Posted 29-08-2013 16:00
informative report naylee
Posted 26-02-2013 00:12
Thats great :) I feel happy when others learn something new from me!
Posted 21-02-2013 21:35
Wow! Thanks for the detailed research. I learned a lot. :)
Posted 21-02-2013 19:29
thanks :) I tried to capture an international perspective on this matter
Posted 21-02-2013 14:30
Really knowledgable, thanks for sharing
Posted 18-02-2013 20:38
Oh this is such a great article for learning!! Thank you Naylee. Did a great job!
Posted 18-02-2013 10:41
Learned a lot. thanks.
Posted 13-02-2013 17:32
Thanks Nagda for this wonderful lesson.
Posted 13-02-2013 13:29
Thanks for sharing such details report / guide lines.
Posted 13-02-2013 01:11
Good info..thx for sharing
Posted 12-02-2013 21:06
Informative
thanks for sharing
Posted 12-02-2013 21:01
Thank you for this well researched article!
Posted 12-02-2013 02:39
We faced the same problem in 70's and 80's..Highly developed economic period, farmers used fertilizers too much, the land became acidic...Thanks for the article!
Posted 11-02-2013 21:09
Well Compiled and very Informative
Posted 11-02-2013 20:18
Helo, Good Morning. I want to ask something about this Acidic Soils. Why Harvest of High Yielding Crops is caused by acidic, thanks
Posted 11-02-2013 14:42