Causes And Consequences Of Soil Acidification

The acidification of soil is a natural process. But, the agricultural practices are now increasing the rate of soil acidification. It is a major land degradation issue.

Soil acidification means decrease in the pH of soil. If it continues unabated, the fertility of the soil will decrease leading to lower yields. Also, there will be reduced crop and pasture options. This also leads to the problem of salinity, erosion and wed infestations.

Causes There are many causes of soil acidification. It generally depends on the type of areas. In the higher rainfall areas, the soil acidity occurs naturally. It also varies with geology, clay mineralogy, buffering capacity and soil texture.

One of the causes of soil acidity is also the process of agriculture. It is basically due to the excessive usage of nitrogen fertilizers and the leaching from nitrogen. Also, the continued removal of alkaline plant and animal materials causes soil acidity.

The product removal also plays a role in the process of soil acidification. The removal of grain, animal products and pasture from the paddock, makes the soil more acidic in nature. Removal of hay is also treated as acidifying reason. Another cause of soil acidification is the cycling of unbalanced nitrogen.

Another cause of soil acidification is the excess rainfall. It washes the nitrogen into the soil and converts it into nitrate by the microorganisms of soil. When these nitrate ions are not taken up by plant roots, it goes below the root, which contributes to the acidification of soil.

Through various ways, the nitrogen is added to the soil. The legume based pastures, the ammonium based nitrogen fertilizers, the urine and dung excretion of stocks and the breakdown of organic matter cause nitrogen addition to the soil.

Consequences After the causes, let us now talk about the consequences of soil acidification. It affects the agriculture as a whole. It also leads to the contamination of the groundwater, which reduces the quality of water.

It also affects the domestic and export earnings, because of the reduced agricultural yields and income of farm. It has a great impact on the pH of streams, which is decreasing day by day. Last but not the least, the accelerated run-off and erosion of soil are other results of the soil acidification.

In a nutshell, it can be said that soil acidification has a vast effect on the environment. It is directly or indirectly related to lives of plants and animals in many ways.