{"id":1339,"date":"2024-11-11T09:22:36","date_gmt":"2024-11-11T08:22:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bhterra.com\/complete-guide-to-alkaline-soils-how-to-detect-and-improve-them\/"},"modified":"2025-01-14T11:50:16","modified_gmt":"2025-01-14T10:50:16","slug":"complete-guide-to-alkaline-soils-how-to-detect-and-improve-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bhterra.com\/en\/complete-guide-to-alkaline-soils-how-to-detect-and-improve-them\/","title":{"rendered":"Complete guide to alkaline soils, how to detect and improve them"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Spain, alkaline soils are common in regions where arid or semi-arid climatic conditions and a geology rich in calcareous materials predominate. These areas tend to have low levels of precipitation, which limits the washing of salts and carbonates, factors that contribute to soil alkalinity.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A soil is considered alkaline when its <strong>pH is above 7<\/strong>, generally due to an accumulation of carbonates, bicarbonates or calcium and magnesium salts. This type of soil is common in arid or semi-arid regions, where insufficient rainfall limits the washing of minerals.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Main areas with alkaline soils in Spain:<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Southeast peninsular:<\/strong> Regions such as Murcia, Almeria and the Guadalentin Valley are known for their alkaline soils due to their dry climate and calcareous geology.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Central Plateau:<\/strong> Much of the Northern and Southern Plateau has soils with alkaline characteristics, especially in areas of low rainfall and where the parent materials include calcareous rocks.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Ebro Valley: <\/strong> In communities such as Aragon, Navarra and parts of Catalonia, the soils are usually alkaline due to the accumulation of salts and the nature of the alluvial sediments.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Balearic Islands: <\/strong> The Balearic Islands, especially in coastal areas, have alkaline soils due to the marine influence and the calcareous composition of the parent rocks.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Eastern Andalusia: <\/strong> In provinces such as Granada, Ja\u00e9n and M\u00e1laga, the combination of dryness and calcareous substrates also favors the appearance of alkaline soils.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How to detect alkaline soils<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How to identify them?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>pH Analysis: <\/strong> A laboratory analysis is recommended to determine the exact pH.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Physical aspect:<\/strong> They are usually compact, light-colored soils with low permeability.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Plant symptoms:<\/strong> Yellowing of leaves (chlorosis) due to deficiencies of essential nutrients such as iron, zinc and manganese.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Disadvantages of alkaline soils<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Low nutrient availability: <\/strong> Key nutrients such as iron, phosphorus, zinc and manganese are locked in non-soluble forms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Compaction: <\/strong> Texture can hinder drainage and root penetration.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Salinity:<\/strong> In some cases, alkaline soils also have problems of excess salts.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Solutions to improve alkaline soils<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. Chemical amendments<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Elemental sulfur:<\/strong> Reduces pH by oxidizing and forming sulfuric acid.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Agricultural gypsum:<\/strong> Improves soil structure and reduces compaction, favoring drainage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Iron chelates:<\/strong> Increase iron availability in alkaline soils, preventing iron chlorosis.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. Use of adequate fertilizers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Fertilizers rich in <strong>ammoniacal nitrogen<\/strong> (such as ammonium sulfate), which help acidify the soil.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Organic fertilizers with high organic matter content, such as compost or manure, which improve soil structure and microbiota..<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. Cultural improvements<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Crop rotation:<\/strong> Combine tolerant and soil-improving crops, such as alfalfa.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Efficient irrigation:<\/strong> Apply water in small, frequent amounts to avoid salt accumulation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>4. Specific organic fertilizers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Organic fertilizers such as those produced by <a href=\"https:\/\/bhterra.com\/en\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/bhterra.com\/en\/\"><strong>BH Terra<\/strong><\/a> are ideal because they contain nutrients in plant-available forms and improve water retention and soil structure. Providing quality organic matter can be key to balancing the chemical and physical properties of the soil.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alkaline soils present a challenge, but with the right strategies they can be managed effectively. The selection of suitable crops, together with the application of organic <a href=\"https:\/\/bhterra.com\/en\/catalog\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/bhterra.com\/en\/catalog\/\">fertilizers and manures,<\/a> allows taking advantage of the benefits of these soils while mitigating their drawbacks. Regular soil testing and adaptation of agricultural practices are key to achieving sustainable and productive agriculture.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Spain, alkaline soils are common in regions where arid or semi-arid [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1245,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sin-categorizar"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bhterra.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bhterra.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bhterra.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bhterra.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bhterra.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1339"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bhterra.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1339\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1340,"href":"https:\/\/bhterra.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1339\/revisions\/1340"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bhterra.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bhterra.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bhterra.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bhterra.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}