Soil aldehydes: A scientific study of a new class of soil constituents unfavorable to crops,their occurrence,properties and elimination in practical agriculture |
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| Authors: | Joshua J Skinner |
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| Abstract: | The experimental results show that aldehydes are harmful to plant growth in aqueous culture solutions, in nutrient solutions, in soil in pots, and in soil in the field.The effects of six aldehydes—namely, salicylic aldehyde, vanillin, benzaldehyde, heliotropine, formaldehyde, and paraformaldehyde—were studied in nutrient-culture solutions and each proved to be detrimental to plant growth.The effect of the compounds varied according to the composition of the nutrient solutions. Salicylic aldehyde was least harmful in solutions composed of a high percentage of phosphates. Vanillin was least harmful in solutions with a high percentage of nitrates. Benzaldehyde was about equally harmful in all the nutrient solutions. It was slightly more harmful, however, in the high nitrate solutions than in the mainly phosphatic or potassic cultures. Paraformaldehyde was also least harmful in the phosphate culture, but formaldehyde and heliotropine showed harmful effects to an equal degree in almost all cultures, regardless of their composition.Salicylic aldehyde and vanillin were found to occur in soils quite frequently, especially in soils of low productivity. The isolated substance from the soils was harmful to plants when dissolved in aqueous solution.The two aldehydes were harmful in some soils and not in others. The field studies show that the added aldehydes disappeared in some soils and not in others. There was no harmful action where the aldehydes were destroyed. The soils in which the aldehydes were destroyed have strong biological activities, good oxidation powers, and are fertile.The results of the experimental work presented in this paper further show that unfertile soils, where due to the presence of harmful aldehydes, can be made productive by good drainage and by the use of lime and certain fertilizers. This is demonstrated, first, by the growth of plants in nutrient solutions, where it is shown that phosphates partially overcome the bad effects of salicylic aldehyde, and that nitrates ameliorate the harmfulness of another aldehyde, vanillin. Second, by the more normal absorption of phosphates by plants growing in solutions containing salicylic aldehyde. Third, by the growth of plants in soil in pots, which shows that the harmful action of salicylic aldehyde is partially overcome by lime and phosphates and the effects of vanillin by lime and nitrate fertilizers. Fourth, by the growth of plants in field soils to which aldehydes were added, which again shows that lime and phosphates lessen the harmfulness of salicylic aldehyde and lime and nitrates alter the effects of vanillin. Fifth, by chemical tests in which it was shown that salicylic aldehyde, when added to a soil, was destroyed where lime and phosphates were added, and vanillin was destroyed where lime and nitrates were added. Sixth, by the improved productivity from the addition of lime and phosphates to a soil in which salicylic aldehyde was naturally formed and persisted for a period of years. |
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