The Effect of Mechanical Activation on Some Soil Properties and Plant Development

Abstract

Humic substances effect on a number of soil properties: structure formation, formation of cation exchange capacity, increase in water retention capacity, etc. At the same time, humic substances in soils and solutions do not exist in the form of individual molecules, but in the form of molecular associations having a fractal-cluster organization (F-clusters). Therefore, F-clusters should exert their influence on the properties of soils. Since these formations are strongly interconnected, their separation is necessary to assess their influence on soil properties. This can be done by mechanical activation – increasing the reactivity (activity) of substances during their mechanical processing. The aim of the paper was to study the effect of mechanical activation on some soil properties and on the development of plants in activated soils. It is shown that the field moisture capacity of samples of zonal soil types when using mechanical activation increases to 35% of the initial value. The results are explained from the standpoint of reducing the mobility of gravitational water by F-clusters in macrocapillaries. The optical density of aqueous extracts from chernozem increased by 75%, the viscosity of soil pastes increased by 57% due to an increase in the number of F–clusters in the soil solution. Activated soils stimulated wheat seed germination by 26%. This effect may be associated with the formation of films of F-clusters on the surface of seeds, which fix soil allelotoxins that slow down the development of seeds.