Influence of Mechanical Activation on Soil Properties and Plant Development

Abstract

Humic substances influence a number of soil properties: structure, cation exchange capacity, water retention capacity, etc. At the same time, in soils and solutions, humic substances exist not in the form of individual molecules, but in the form of supramolecular formations having a fractal cluster organization (F-clusters). Consequently, F-clusters should exert their influence on soil properties. As F-clusters are tightly interconnected, to assess their influence on soil properties it is necessary to separate them. This can be done by mechanical activation—increasing the reactivity (activity) of substances during their mechanical treatment. We studied the influence of mechanical activation on some soil properties and on the development of plants in activated soils. It has been shown that the water retention capacity of soil samples from the main types of zonal soils increases by up to 35% of the initial value under the impact of mechanical activation. This can be explained from the standpoint of a decrease in the mobility of gravitational water by F-clusters in macrocapillaries. The optical density of water extracts from chernozem increased by 75% and 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 the germination of wheat seeds 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 seed development.