What causes soil acidity?
Producers commonly ask this question of staff soil fertility and crops specialists. There are four major reasons for soils to become acidic: rainfall and leaching, acidic parent material, organic matter decay, and harvest of high-yielding crops. Wet climates have a greater potential for acidic soils. In time, excessive rainfall leaches the soil profile’s basic elements (calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium) that prevent soil acidity. Soils that develop from weathered granite are likely to be more acidic than those developed from shale or limestone. Organic matter decay produces hydrogen ions (H+), which are responsible for acidity (an ion is a positively or negatively charged element). Like that from rainfall, acidic soil development from decaying organic matter is insignificant in the short term. Harvest of high-yielding crops plays the most significant role in increasing soil acidity. During growth, crops absorb basic elements such as calcium, magnesium, and potassium to satisfy
