Soil acidity and aluminum toxicity are considered most damaging soil
conditions affecting the growth of most crops. This paper reviews the
results of tests of pH, exchangeable acidity and mobile aluminum (Al)
concentration in profiles of pseudogley soils from Cacak-Kraljevo basin. For
that purpose, 102 soil pits were dug in 2009 in several sites around Cacak-
Kraljevo basin. The tests encompassed 54 field, 28 meadow, and 20 forest
soil samples. Samples of soil in the disturbed state were taken from the Ah
and Eg horizons (102 samples), from the B1tg horizon in 39 field, 24 meadow
and 15 forest pits (a total of 78 samples) and from the B2tg horizon in 14
field, 11 meadow, and 4 forest pits (a total of 29 samples). Mean pH values
(1M KCl) of the tested soil profiles were 4.28, 3.90 and 3.80 for the Ah, Eg
and B1tg horizons, respectively. Soil pH of forest samples was lower than
those in meadow and arable land samples (mean values of 4.06, 3.97 and 3.85
for arable land, meadow and forest samples, respectively). Soil
acidification was especially intensive in deep horizons, as 27% (Ah), 77%
(Eg) and 87% (B1tg) soil samples had the pH value below 4.0. Mean values of
total exchangeable acidity (TEA) were 1.55, 2.33 and 3.40 meq 100 g-1 for
the Ah, Eg and B1tg horizons, respectively. The TEA values in forest soils
were considerably higher (3.39 meq 100 g-1) than those in arable soils and
meadow soils (1.96 and 1.93, respectively). Mean mobile Al contents of
tested soil samples were 11.02, 19.58 and 28.33 mg Al 100 g-1 for the Ah, Eg
and B1tg horizons, respectively. According to the pH and TEA values, mobile
Al was considerably higher in the forest soils (the mean value of 26.08 mg
Al 100 g-1) than in the arable soils and meadow soils (the mean values of
16.85 and 16.00 mg Al 100 g-1, respectively). The Eg and B1tg horizons of
the forest soil had especially high mobile Al contents (the mean values of
28.50 and 32.95 mg Al 100 g-1, respectively). High levels of mobile Al were
especially frequent in the forest soils, with 35% (Ah), 85.0% (Eg) and 93.3%
(B1tg) of the tested samples ranging above 10 mg Al 100 g-1.
Nitrate Leakage from Deciduous Forest Soils into Streams on Kureha Hill, Japan
