Soil Quality and Proposal for Fertility Improvement of Arable Soil in Rasina District
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UDC 631.4(497.11) Acta Agriculturae Serbica, 26 (51), 27‒32, 2021 doi: 10.5937/AASer2151027S Publisher: Faculty of Agronomy Čačak www.afc.kg.ac.rs Soil Quality and Proposal for Fertility Improvement of Arable Soil in Rasina District Biljana *, , - , Vladan , Sikirić Vesna Mrvić Olivera Stajković Srbinović Ugrenović DarkoInstitute ofJaramaz, Soil Science, Nikola Teodora Koković Drajzera 7, 11000 Belgrade *Corresponding author: [email protected], [email protected] Received 5 November 2020; Accepted 19 March 2021 A B S T R A C T During the regular control of soil fertility in the Rasina District, it was established that the plots of land were distributed across Vertisol, Eutric Cambisol and Fluvisol types of soils, and to a lesser extent on Pseudogley and Ranker. The tested samples had different textures – sandy loam and loam, clay-sandy loam and clay loam, and clay. Plots of land that were of very acidic and acidic reactions were predominant, with medium amounts of humus, very low amounts of available phosphorus, and high amounts of available potassium. High or very high cation absorption capacity was found in about half of the examined fields; a deficient content of exchangeable Ca was recorded in 22% of plots and that of exchangeable Mg in 16% of plots, while an unfavorable Ca/Mg ratio was measured in 44% of plots. The overall sensitivity to acidification was mainly moderate (50.6% of plots) and strong (20.2% of plots). Very high concentrations of mobile Al, which could be toxic to plants, were found in 5 field plots. Keywords: Rasina District, acid soils, acidification, macroelements, liming И З В О Д У Расинском округу током редовн- е контроле плодности земљишта, утврђено је да су парцеле распрострањене на земљишту типа вертисол, еутрични камбисол и флувисол, а мање на псеудоглеју и ранкеру. Земљиште је иловасте текстуре, повољних физичко водних особина. Преовладавају парцеле јако киселе и киселе реакције, са средњим садржајем хумуса, јако ниским садржајем лакоприступачног фосфораg и високим садржајем лакоприступачног калијума. У око половини испитиваних парцела установљен је висок или врло висок капацитет Fessende адсорпцијеn катјона; у 22% парцела измерен је дефицитаран садржај изменљивог Cа, а изменљивог М у 16% парцела; неповољан однос Ca/Mg измерен је у, 44% парцела. Укупна осетљивост према ацидификацији (метода Holowaychuk и , 1987) претежно је умерена (50,6% парцела), а јака на 20,2% парцела. Врло високе концентрације мобилног Al, које могу бити токсичне за биљке нађенеКључне су речи на 5: парцела. Расински округ, кисела земљишта, ацидификација, макроелементи, калцизација 1. Introduction However, the greatest problem comes from aluminum, which prevents normal root growth and One of the most developed agricultural areas of root penetration to the deeper layers of soil. With more Serbia is the Rasina District, located in the central part pronounced acidification, the concentration of mobile of Serbia. It encompasses the municipalities of aluminum also rises, thus becoming toxic for plants Aleksandrovac, Brus, Varvarin, Kruševac, Trstenik, and when the levels reach the critical point (Haynes, 1984; , and occupies an area of 2667 km2. This Kinraide, 1991), while phosphorus, as one of the most research is primarily guided by the problem of acid and important macronutrients, is fixed by Al and Fe into Ćićevacstrongly acid arable soils, which are highly distributed poorly soluble forms inaccessible to plants (Barber, in the Rasina District, as determined by previous 1995). On the other hand, the increased solubility of examinations. some microelements (e.g. Zn and B) at low pH values Acid and strongly acid soils are often limiting could cause their rapid leaching from the root system factors in plant production, as they hold an imbalance zone, thus causing a lack of nutrients for plants. In of biogenic elements and increase the solubility of conditions of increased concentrations of H+ ions, heavy metals. Clark (1981) stated that soil acidity of pH harmful microelements are transformed into their 5.0 and below is a limiting growth factor for many readily available forms (Sauerbeck and Lubben, 1991). plants due to toxic concentrations of Al, Fe, Mn and a Due to the weak fertility of acid soils, it is crucial to possible deficiency of some biogenic elements such as be familiar with their sensitivity to acidification Ca, Mg, Zn, B and Mo. processes, with the aim of using appropriate cultural practices promptly. 27 Sikirić et al. The sensitivity of soil to acidification is conditioned formed along with lithosols and regosols. On the flatter primarily by the geological background, i.e. by the type terrain, eutric and district cambisol are found on and the extent of native substrate decomposition sandstones, flysch, shales, serpentine rocks, and (Bergholm, 2003), as well as by the soil properties (soil granite. solution reactions, base saturation, cation exchange The majority of the examined cadastral parcels capacity, soil texture, the content of organic matter), belong to the vertisol soil type; followed by eutric land use system (unreasonable use of acidic mineral cambisol and fluvisol, while pseudogley and rankers fertilizers), and by the emissions of acidic substances are less present (Map 1). from industrial plants (Misson et al., 2001). Acidification disrupts soil’s buffering abilities 3.2. Soil texture (Feigenbaum et al., 1981; Tributh et al., 1987), primarily through the displacement and leaching of The tested samples have different textures – sandy calcium and magnesium ions. Therefore, the rate of soil loam and loam, clay-sandy loam and clay loam, and sensitivity to acidification is defined by the buffer clay. In half of the samples, the soil has the texture of capacity of the soil, i.e. its physical and chemical loam and sandy-clay loam, with very favorable properties. properties. This research aims to comprehensively evaluate Lighter mechanical composition, such as sandy the state of soil fertility, as well as to make an loam, is present in samples on fluvisol and ranker. assessment of soil acidification in the Rasina District, Heavier mechanical composition is found in vertisols, which would enable an adequate response in terms of most commonly those in the region sustainable recommendations for the application of soil upa, and in some samples of fluvisol, eutric cambisol cultural and improvement practices. and ranker developed on serpentineof rock Aleksandrovačka. Ž Some soils, such as luvisol and pseudogley, have a 2. Materials and methods more favorable mechanical composition in the surface layer, but deeper layers have a higher clay content, The research was conducted on 110 representative which impedes root system growth, while, in surface samples, taken from the agricultural soil of pseudogley, it retains sub-surface water. cadastral parcels in the municipalities of the Rasina District (Aleksandrovac, Brus, Varvarin, Kruševac, 3.3. Basic fertility parameters fertility parameters were determined from the average soil samples from the The data on pH in 1M KCl showed that the cadastralTrstenik, andparcels Ćićevac). of registered Basic agricultural holdings. examined soils of the selected land plots were in a high Soil pH was determined electrometrically in H2O and in percentage of cases (46.6%) very acidic (pH < 4.5) and 1M KCl. Humus was calculated from organic carbon in 30.9% of cases acidic (pH 4.5–5.5), while weakly (determined by a CNS Analyzer). Available P and K acidic (pH 5.5–6.5) and neutral (pH 6.5–7.2) soils made were determined by the AL-method of Enger-Riehm. up only 25.5% of samples. Exchangeable Ca and Mg were extracted by ammonium It is known that strongly acidic soils usually have acetate and determined by an ICP spectrometer (iCAP less favorable physical and chemical properties, and 6300 ICP-OES, Cambridge, UK). The level of CaCO3 was microbiological activity. Pseudogleys, brownized determined volumetrically using the Scheibler method. vertisols, and rankers have a very acid reaction. On the The composition of the soil adsorption complex was other hand, fluvisols (known for their fertility) were determined using the Kappen method. Mobile Al was mostly neutral (42.9%), followed by weakly acid determined by the Sokolov method and readings were (21.4%) and acid (21.4%) samples, while only 14.3% of recorded on the ICP. The mechanical composition of samples were strongly acid. soil was determined by a combination of sieving and In terms of the humus content, it was medium pipette methods. (1.5–4%) in 74.5% of examined plots; low (<1.5%) in Basic descriptive statistics and correlation 6.4% of plots, and high (>4%) in 19.1% of plots. The methods were used for data processing. Visualization, humus content of arable soils depends on land use and management, creation, and analysis of data were soil type; therefore especially high values of humus performed in the GIS environment, using the ArcGIS were measured on rankers and vertisols. program. Very low contents of readily available P2O5 (<6 mg 100g-1) were measured on 40% of selected cadastral parcels; about 12% of cadastral parcels had low levels 3. Results and discussions -1 - (6–10 mg 100g ), 10% medium levels (10–16 mg 100g 1), and 23.5% of parcels had a high and very high 3.1. Pedological characteristics contents of this element (16–42 mg 100g-1), (Table 1). Low amounts of readily available phosphorus are often Several soil types are present in the Rasina District. found in pseudogley soils, where due to the strong Alluvial soil and somewhere humofluvisols were acidic reaction phosphorus compounds bind into formed in the valleys of the rivers South hardly soluble forms inaccessible to plants (Su and Morava, Great (Velika) Morava, West (Zapadna) Evans, 1996; Ma et al., 2001); this also occurs in Morava and its tributaries (Rasina and Pepeljušnica),(Južna) vertisols, rankers, and cambisols. There is a moderately and Toplica. significant correlation (r = 0.553) between the content Miocene sediments (clays, sands, gravels) compose of readily available phosphorus and soil pH.