Distribution of extractable calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sodium in various depths of some virgin peat soils

Authors

• Armi Kaila Department of Agricultural Chemistry, University of Helsinki
• Jaakko Kivekäs Department of Agricultural Chemistry, University of Helsinki

DOI: https://doi.org/10.23986/afsci.71404

Abstract

It has been attempted in the present paper to study the distribution of plant available calcium, magnesium, and potassium in various depths of 25 virgin peat lands. The amounts of these cations extractable by 1 N ammonium chloride are supposed to give a rough estimation on the available content of the nutrients. Also the quantities of extracted sodium are reported. It has been found that the percentic content of these cations in the surface vegetation are higher than in the peat. Particularly marked is the accumulation of potassium in living plants and, although in a less degree, in the surface layers of peat. The variation in the distribution of the extractable amounts of the cations in various depths of the peat lands is considerable. A significant correlation exists between the depth and the magnesium content, and a negative correlation between the depth and the amount of extractable potassium. So far as the amount of cations extracted by 1 N ammonium chloride represents nutrients available for plants, calcium and magnesium are not generally minimum factors in peat soils, whereas in most soils the sources of potassium probably will be depleted by the first crops.