Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
10
Soil cations
What are soil cations?
A soil chemist will refer to cations, which are positively charged atoms, and anions
that are negatively charged atoms or groups of atoms. Both these groups of charged
atoms are found in the soil, and they react with each other to form chemical
nutrients that provide food for plants. The soil cations are shown in Table 10.
Table 10
Soil cations
Name of chemical
Symbol
Calcium
Ca ++
Potassium
K +
Magnesium
Mg ++
Na +
Sodium
Al +++
Aluminium
Hydrogen
H +
Manganese
Mn ++
Cations and soil fertility
The soil cations play a large part in soil fertility, both in supplying plant nutrients,
and in forming and maintaining good soil structure. Calcium and magnesium are
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