Fersitg D Jvrfemta College of Agriculture Agricultural Experiment Station
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A Study of Toxicity of Salines that Occur in Black Alkali Soils Item Type text; Book Authors Breazeale, J. F. Publisher College of Agriculture, University of Arizona (Tucson, AZ) Rights Copyright © Arizona Board of Regents. The University of Arizona. Download date 27/09/2021 08:26:04 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/190606 Technical Bulletin No 14 Fehuun 1, 192" fersitg d JVrfemta College of Agriculture Agricultural Experiment Station A STUDY OF THE TOXICITY OF SALINES THAT OCCUR IN BLACK ALKALI SOILS B) J F BRLAZEALE PUBLISHED BY fittg rrf ^Kxt UNIVERSITY STATION TUCSON, ARIZONA ORGANIZATION BOARD OF REGENTS EX-OFFICIO MEMBERS HTS EXCELLENCY, GEORGE W. P. HUNT, Governor of Arizona Phoenix HONORABLE CHARLES O. CASE, State Superintendent of Public Instruction - - - - Phoenix APPOINTED MEMBERS HON. ROBERT E. TALLY, Chancellor - - Jerome HON. LOUIS R. KEMPF, LL.B Tucson HON. CLEVE W. VAN DYKE - Miami HON. CHARLES M. LAYTON Safford HON. GEORGE M. BRIDGE - - Somcrton HON ROY KIRKPATRICK - —. Globe HON. THEODORA MARSH, Treasurer..... Nogales HON. FRANKLIN J. CRIDER, M.S Superior BYRON CUMMINGS, A.M., LL-D,, Sc.D.-~ Acting President of the University AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION JOHN J. THORNBER, A.M - - ....Dean and Director JAMES* G. BROWN, Ph.D. - Plant Pathologist WALKER E. BRYAN, M.S - —. - - Plant Breeder PAUL S BURGESS, Ph.D Agricultural Chemist WALTER S. CUNNINGHAM, B.S Dairy Husbandman GEORGE E. P. SMITH, C.E -Irrigation Engineer CHARLES T. VORHIES, Ph.D „. Entomologist * JAMES F. BREAZEALE, B.S Research Specialist in Agricultural Chemistry MARGARET L. CAMMACK, Ph.D Research Specialist in Home Economics HARRY EMBLETON, B.S Poultry Husbandman RALPH S. HAWKINS, M.S.. - ... - Agronomist ALLEN F. KINNISON, M.S. Horticulturist ERNEST B. STANLEY, M.S Animal Husbandman DAVID W. ALBERT, B.S Assistant Horticulturist IAN A. BRIGGS, M.S - Assistant Agronomist STANLEY P. CLARK, B.S - Assistant Agronomist RICHARD N. DAVIS, B.S - - Assistant Dairy Husbandman ELLAS H. PRESSLEY, M.S _ Assistant Plant Breeder HAROLD C. SCHWALEN, M.S , Assistant Irrigation Engineer RUBERT B. STREETS, Ph.D Assistant Plant Pathologist MALCOLM F. WHARTON, M.S Assistant Horticulturist WILLIAM F. DICKSON, M.S Assistant Animal Husbandman G. GORDON POHLMAN, M.S Assistant Agricultural Chemist HOWARD V. SMITH, M.S Assistant Agricultural Chemist GEORGE H, SERVISS, M-S Field Assistant in Cotton Studies *In cooperation with United States Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Plant Industry. CONTENTS Introduction , —- - . _ 337 The Limit of Endurance of Plants _ 33g Effect of Finely Divided Substances upon Alkali Tolerance _ 339 Alkali Tolerance in Sand and Clay Soils. 342 Experiments with Sodium Carbonate .„ _„ 343 Toxicity of Sodium Hydroxide, Sodium Carbonate, and Sodium Bicarbonate 343 The Toxicity of Alkali Salts, a Function of both Molecule and Ton 344 Effect of Gelatine upon the Toxicity of Sodium Carbonate „ 346 Sodium Chloride and Sodium Carbonate 346 Toxicity of Pure Salts Compared with the Toxicity of Soil Alkali Salts 349 Sodium Carbonate in Soils. , _ _ 351 Stimulating Effect of Sodium Carbonate on Plants 352 Sodium Bicarbonate in the Soil Solution _ 353 Unproductiveness of Black Alkali Soils Due to Their Physical Condition 355 Toxicity of Other Saline Components of Black Alkali Soils 356 Conclusions - - - _ 357 ILLUSTRATIONS Fig. 1.—Wheat seedlings grown in: (1) Control—distilled water; (2) 501) p.p.m. NaCl; (3) 1,000 p.p.m. NaCl; (4) 2,000 p.p.m. NaCl; (5) 3,000 p.p.m. NaCl; (6) 4,000 p.p.m. NaCl __ ,..___ 339 Fig'. 2'—A. Wheat seedlings that were grown in pots of sand and watered with (1) Control—distilled water; (2) 500 p.p.m. NaCl; (3) 1,000 p.p.m. NaCl; (4)' 2,000 p.p.m. NaCl; (5) 3,000 p.p.m. NaCi; (6) 4,000 p.p.m. NaCl. B- Wheat seedlings that "were grown in solutions that had passed through pots of sand: (1) Control—distilled nater; (2) 500 p.p.m. NaCl; (3) 1,000 p.p.m. NaCl; (4) 2,000 p.p.m. NaCl; (5) 3,000 p.p.m. NaCl; (6) 4,000 p.p.m. NaCl 340 Fig. 3.—A« Wheat seedlings that were grown in pots of aluminum hydroxide and watered with: (1) tControl—distilled water; (2) 4,000 p.p.m. NaCl. B. Wheat seedlings that were grown in pots of carbon black and watered with: (1) Control—distilled water; (2) 2,000 p.pm. NaCl; (3) 3,000 p.pm- NaCl; (4) 4,000 p.p.m. NaCl 341 Fig. 4-—Graph illustrating the interchangeable character of the toxicities of sodium chloride and sodium carbonate „.., . 347 Fig. 5-—Wheat seedlings grown in: (1) Distilled water; (2) 424 p.p.m. NaaCOa; (3) 530 p.p.m. NaaCOai (4) 636 p.p.m. NaaCO:i; (5) 742 p.p.m. NasCOas (6) 848 p.p-m. NaaCOjn (7) 954 p.p.m. NaaCOa - - 354 TABLES Table I.—Limits of Endurance of Wheat Seedlings in Alkaline Solutions of Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, and Ammonium ~~—, 344 Table II.—Limits of Endurance of Wheat Seedlings in Solutions of Sodium Chloride, Sodium Carbonate, and in Mixtures of these Salts 348 Table III—The Toxicity of Alkali Obtained from the Soil, as Compared with that Obtained from Pure Salts..— - -—-.— 350 Table IV.—Concentration of Salts in Mixture at the Limit of Endurance of Wheat Seedlings - 350 Table V.-—Percentage of Toxic Concentration of Salts In Mixture at Limit of Endurance of Wheat Seedlings... — ,.~ — 351 Table VI—Toxic Concentration of Sodium Carbonate, and the Conversion of Sodium Carbonate into Sodium Bicarbonate by Wheat Seedlings—„ 353 A STUDY OF THE TOXICITY OF SALINES THAT OCCUR IN BLACK ALKALI SOILS By J. F. BREAZEALE INTRODUCTION In investigations upon alkali tolerance, as well as in all investigations upon soil fertility and nutrition problems, the last referee is the plant. Except in extreme cases, it is impossible to predict, from the chemical analysis of a soil, what plant foods will be most needed by a plant grow- ing in that particular soil. In like manner, unless many other factors are known, it is often impossible to predict, from an analysis of the water- soluble salts in a soil what the behavior of a plant will be when grown in that soil. An irrigation water, with a high percentage of salts, may be injurious when applied to certain soils and certain crops, and bene- ficial when applied to other soils and other crops. In doubtful cases, the farmer is usually told to "try it out," and in this way get an answer from the plant itself. In this bulletin, soil alkali is studied from the standpoint of the plant. It will be shown that the plant deals with the soil solution and with that only, and that; an expression of the alkali tolerance of a plant should be based upon the soil solution and not upon the soil. Aside from furnish- ing a storehouse of food materials and a reservoir for water supply, the insoluble matter of a soil is concerned chiefly in holding the plant in position. The inert materials such as sand and clay, have little effect upon the alkali tolerance of a plant. Every alkali salt has a definite position in the order of toxicity> and the toxicity of a mixture of alkali salts is the sum of the toxicities of the different salts that compose the mixture. An effort is made in this paper to prove that all salts, when acting as soil alkalies, obey certain, definite chemical laws. The behavior of plants in black alkali soil corroborates the data that have been published in technical bulletins 12 and 13 of this Station, rel- ative to the chemical nature of the zeolites in these soils. Every indica- tion points to the fact that few) black alkali soils, actually contain any sodium carbonate, and that the alkalinity of extracts of such soils is due 318 TFCHVICAL BULLFTIA AO 14 to sodium hydroxide that is dcrhcd fiom the hydrolysis of sodium zeo- lite. Furthermore, it is probable that in the true soil solution, /. e., the solution that the plant corncb in contact with, there is very little hydroly- sis of the sodium zeolite, and few, if an}, hydroxvl ions in solution. The unproductKenebs, or toxicity, of black alkali soih is due, therefore, either to their physical condition or to soil components other than sodium carbonate or sodium hydroxide. THE LIMIT OF ENDURANCE OF PLANTS In a previous bulletin of this Station,* it was shown that, during its era of development or adaptation, c\er\ plant becomes adapted to a cer- tain amount of salts in solution. The fully developed plant of today will endure the amount of salts that it has become adapted to> therefore, if a plant is grown in increasing amounts of soluble .salts or alkalies, a concentration will be reached when the grovith of the plant will cease. This concentration of salt is called the limit of endurance of the plant. The limit of endurance of a plant for alkali in solution, may be easily and accurately measured in water cultures, and the value of such a determination is obvious, but it has always been a source of disappoint- ment that so little practical use has been made of such determinations. It is evident that our failure to apply our results to field conditions has been due largely to the fact that we do not know their full meaning. One serious objection to the determination of the limit of endurance in solution cultures has arisen from the fact that certain salts, when added to soils, behave very differently from the same salts when added to solu- tions.