Soil Acidification : Report
Recent report highlighted that over 30 per cent of cultivable land in India is said to carry acidic soil which is impacting plant growth.
- Soil Acidification is a process where the soil pH decreases over time.
- This process is accelerated by agricultural production and can affect both the surface soil and subsoil.
- Acidic soils in India are widespread in the humid southwestern, northeastern and Himalayan regions.
- Some contributing factors to soil acidification include:
- the application of high levels of ammonium-based nitrogen fertilisers to naturally acidic soils
- leaching of nitrate nitrogen, originally applied as ammonium-based fertilizers
- harvesting plant materials (plant material is alkaline so when it is removed the soil is more acidic than if the plant material had been returned to the soil).
- Acidification creates an environment ripe for depletion of soil inorganic carbon, which is important for soil health, ecosystem services
- Acidic soils affect crop growth and productivity by reducing the availability of plant nutrients. It also predisposes plants to other biotic and abiotic stress factors.
