The natural acidification of groundwater in some types of environment has accelerated by acid atmospheric emissions and cultivation during the last 200 years. The direct effects are seen in changes of the groundwater chemistry in four stages, (1) seasonal depression of pH, alkalinity and some cations in very shallow groundwater, (2) long-term increase of calcium, magnesium, nitrate and sulphate...

Much of the biogeochemical cycling research in catchments in the past 25 years has been driven by acid deposition research funding. This research has focused on vulnerable base-poor systems; catchments on alkaline lithologies have received little attention. In regions of high acid loadings, however, even well-buffered catchments are susceptible to forest decline and episodes of low alkalinity i...

Soil alkalinity is a major abiotic constraint to crop productivity and quality. Wild soybean (Glycine soja) is considered to be more stress-tolerant than cultivated soybean (G. max), and has considerable genetic variation for increasing alkalinity tolerance of soybean. In this study, we analyzed the transcriptome profile in the roots of an alkalinity tolerant wild soybean variety N24852 at 12 a...

The aim of the study was to estimate the influence of soil pH on the uptake of copper, zinc, and manganese by Valeriana officinalis. Preliminary studies involved soil analyses to determine acidity, organic matter content, and copper, zinc, and manganese total and bioavailable forms. The study involved atomic absorption spectrometry to determine the concentration of the elements, and mineral soi...

accumulation, 71, 110, 111 non-ideal, 81 agarose, 33, 35, 44 pore size, 59 alkalinity, 35, 176, 183 aluminium, 44, 67, 176, 238 ammonia, 35, 176 ammonium persulphate, 33, 266 analytical techniques, 285 colorimetry, 181–182 computer imaging densitometry (CID), 181–182, 185, 202, 285 hyperspectral imaging, 182 laser ablation – ICPMS, 185–188, 285 PIXE, 175, 176 antimony, 44, 67, 135 area of windo...

Soil pH, soil acidity, and their effects on plants The pH scale, ranging from 0 to 14, is used to indicate acidity and alkalinity. pH is a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions (symbol = H) in the water contained in the soil. A pH of 7.0 is neutral, values below 7 are acidic, and those above 7 are alkaline (basic). The lower the pH, the more acid the soil. Each unit pH drop indicates te...

The majority of termite species do not feed on wood, but have a humivorous mode of nutrition. However, the exact nature of the carbon and energy source of soil-feeding termites, and also the role of the extreme alkalinity in their anterior hindguts are still unknown. Using soil-feeding Cubitermes species and high-pressure gel-permeation chromatography, we found a signi®cant shift toward lower m...

Soil alkalinity causes major reductions in yield and quality of crops worldwide. The plant root is the first organ sensing soil alkalinity, which results in shorter primary roots. However, the mechanism underlying alkaline stress-mediated inhibition of root elongation remains to be further elucidated. Here, we report that alkaline conditions inhibit primary root elongation of Arabidopsis (Arabi...

Salt pollution and human-accelerated weathering are shifting the chemical composition of major ions in fresh water and increasing salinization and alkalinization across North America. We propose a concept, the freshwater salinization syndrome, which links salinization and alkalinization processes. This syndrome manifests as concurrent trends in specific conductance, pH, alkalinity, and base cat...