Advances in Soil Science

Advances in Soil Science

Advances in Soil Science B.A. Stewart, Editor Editorial Board R. Lal CW. Rose U. Schwertmann B.A. Stewart P.B. Tinker R.J. Wagenet B. Yaron

Advances in Soil Science Volume 10 Edited by B.A. Stewart With Contributions by E.G. Beauchamp, D. Binkley, R.I Buresh, S.K. De Datta, S.c. Hart, M.B. McBride, IW. Paul, IT. Trevors, and A. Van Wambeke With 36 Illustrations Springer-Verlag New York Berlin Heidelberg London Paris Tokyo

B.A. Stewart USDA Conservation and Production Research Laboratory Bushland, Texas 79012, USA Printed on acid-free paper. ISSN: 0176-9340 1989 by Springer-Verlag New York Inc. Copyright is not claimed for works by US Government employees. Softcover reprint ofthe hardcover 1 st edition 1989 All rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher (Springer-Verlag, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010, USA), except for brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden. The use of general descriptive names, trade names, trademarks, etc. in this publication, even if the former are not especially identified, is not to be taken as a sign that such names, as understood by the Trade Marks and Merchandise Marks Act, may accordingly be used freely by anyone. Typeset by Publishers Service, Bozeman, Montana. 987654321 ISBN-13: 978-1-4613-8849-4 e-isbn-13: 978-1-4613-8847-0 DOl: 10.1007/978-1-4613-8847-0

Preface Soil is formed from physical and chemical weathering of rocks - processes described historically because they involve eons of time-by glaciation and by wind and water transport of soil materials, later deposited in deltas and loessial planes. Soil undergoes further transformations over time and provides a habitat for biological life and a base for the development of civilizations. Soil is dynamic -always changing as a result of the forces of nature and particularly by human influences. The soil has been studied as long as history has been documented. Numerous references to soil are found in historical writings such as Aristotle (384-322 B.c.), Theophrastus (372-286 B.c.), Cato the Elder (234-149 B.C.) and Varro (116-27 B.c.). Some of the earliest historical references have to do with erosional forces of wind and water. The study of soils today has taken on increased importance because a rapidly expanding population is placing demands on the soil never before experienced. This has led to an increase in land degradation and desertification. Desertification is largely synonymous with land degradation but in an arid land context. Deterioration of soil resources is largely human induced. Poverty, ignorance, and greed are the indirect causes of desertification. The direct cause is mismanagement of the land by practices such as overgrazing, tree removal, improper tillage, poorly designed and managed water distribution systems, and overexploitation. The arrest and possible reversal of land degradation will require policies and technologies for natural resource management. In recent years, there has been a significant shift in emphasis of soil science research away from maximum crop production to the sustainability of crop production systems and to maintaining the quality of soil and water resources. Unless these goals are achieved, land degradation will continue and the land will gradually lose its inherent productivity, threatening the livelihood of those who depend on it. The focus on increasing food production in recent years throughout much of the world has been on irrigated agriculture. Since 1950, the amount of irrigated land has increased from about 94 million hectares to about 220 million hectares. During the 1980s, however, the rate of irrigation development has dropped materially and is presently less than 1 percent per year. Consequently, it appears

vi Preface certain that much of the additional food production needed in future years must come from the 80 percent of the cultivated land which is not irrigated, and from developing new lands, some of which will surely be fragile lands that can be easily degraded unless careful management practices are implemented. This series, Advances in Soil Science, was established to provide a forum for leading scientists to analyze and summarize the available scientific information on a subject, assessing its importance and identifying additional research needs. This goal seems even more appropriate today than in 1982 when the idea of the series was formulated. There has been much learned about our soil resources. The principles learned and the technology developed need to be used to increase food production and sustain the productivity of the resource base. Advances in Soil Science fills a gap between the scientific journal and the comprehensive reference books. Scientists can delve in depth on a particular subject relating to soil science. Contributors are asked in particular to develop and identify principles that have practical applications to both developing and developed agricultures. Advances in Soil Science was formulated to be international in scope and to cover all subjects relating to soil science. This volume continues in that format in that it contains contributions from scientists from Canada, The Philippines, and the United States on subjects relating to soil classification, nitrogen availability in forest soils, denitrification, nitrogen management in irrigated rice, and heavy metal solubilities in soils. Although we consider our audience to be primarily scientists and students of soil science, the series provides technical information to anyone interested in our natural resources and human influence on these resources. Research in the future will focus on systems that are resource efficient and environmentally sound. The need to optimize crop production while conserving the resource base has never been greater. The quick acceptance of Advances in Soil Science by both authors and readers has been very gratifying and confirms our perception that a need did exist for a medium to publish soil science reviews. I thank the authors for their excellent contributions and cooperation. I also thank members of the Editorial Board for their assistance in selecting such competent authors and the Springer-Verlag staff for their kind assistance and counsel. Finally, and most importantly, I thank the readers for their acceptance and use of Advances in Soil Science. B.A. Stewart

Contents Preface... Contributors..................................................... v ix Reactions Controlling Heavy Metal Solubility in Soils.... M. B. McBride I. Introduction.... Il. Ion-Exchange on Layer Silicates... 2 Ill. Chemisorption on Mineral Surfaces................................ 6 IV. Nucleation, Precipitation, and Solid Solutions....................... 22 V. Redox Processes Mfecting Metal Solubility... 32 VI. Metal Adsorption by Organic Matter............................... 35 VII. Speciation of Metals in Solution................................... 42 VIII. Summary..................................................... 47 References.................................................... 47 The Components of Nitrogen Availability Assessments in Forest Soils... 57 D. Binkley and S.c. Hart 1. Introduction... 57 Il. The Framework................................................ 58 Ill. The Methods.................................................. 59 IV. Conclusions... 100 Acknowledgments.............................................. 103 References.................................................... 103 Carbon Sources for Bacterial Denitrification........................ 113 E. Beauchamp, l.t. Trevors, and l.w. Paul I. Introduction................................................... 113 Il. Carbon Sources................................................ 119 Ill. Natural C Substrates............................................ 122

viii Contents IV. 'Coculture and Multiculture Systems................................ 123 V. Decomposition of Organic Materials and Denitrification............... 124 VI. Denitrification in Relation to Measured Available Soil C Substrate....... 128 VII. Denitrification Near Roots........................................ 130 VIII. Acetylene as a C Substrate for Denitrifiers... 130 IX. Denitrification Kinetics Involving C Substrates....................... 131 X. Denitrification Versus Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction................. 132 XI. Summary... 133 Acknowledgments............................................... 134 References..................................................... 134 Integrated Nitrogen Management in Irrigated Rice.............. 143 S. K. De Datta and R.l. Buresh I. Introduction... 143 11. Efficiency of Nitrogen Fertilizer................................... 145 Ill. Ammonia Volatilization Loss...................................... 145 IV. Denitrification Loss............................................. 150 V. Management Agenda to Increase Nitrogen Use Efficiency.............. 153 VI. Supplemental Sources of Nitrogen.................................. 161 VII. Knowledge Gaps................................................ 163 References..................................................... 164 Tropical Soils and Soil Classification Updates....................... 171 A. lim Wambeke 1. Introduction... 171 11. Keys to Soil Taxonomy 1987...................................... 172 Ill. The FAO-UNESCO 1988 Update... 180 IV. Classifications and Soils of the Tropics... 185 References..................................................... 192 Index.... _... 195

Contributors E.G. BEAucHAMP, Department of Land Resource Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario NlG 2W1, Canada. D. BINKLEY, Department of Forest and Wood Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523, U.S.A. R.I BURESH, International Rice Research Institute, p.a. Box 933, Manila, The Philippines. S.K. DE DATTA, International Rice Research Institute, P.o. Box 933, Manila, The Philippines. S.c. HART, Department of Plant and Soil Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, U.S.A. M. McBRIDE, Department of Agronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, U.S.A. IW. PAUL, Department of Land Resource Science, Ontario Agricultural College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada. J.T. TREVORS, Department of Environmental Biology, Ontario Agricultural College, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada. A. VAN WAMBEKE, Department of Agronomy, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, U.S.A.