Soil Minerals
Soil Minerals, Soil pH and Soil Nematodes
- Soil macronutrients and micronutrients have an impact on soil nematode populations and ecosystem functions
- C-p2 nematodes have been reported positively associated with Cu, Mn, Zn, & Ca and significantly negatively correlated with Fe, Mg, N, and S (Matute et al. 2018)
- Soil pH significantly impacts agricultural productivity by influencing nutrient availability, microbial activity, and soil structure.
- An optimal pH range (6.0-7.0) promotes healthy soil, while deviations can lead to nutrient deficiencies, reduced microbial activity, and poor soil health.
- Soil pH will influence both the availability of soil nutrients to plants and how the nutrients react with each other.
- At a low pH, many elements become less available to plants, while others such as iron, aluminum and manganese become toxic to plants.
- Certain nematode groups tend to be acidophilic, while others tend to be basophilic(alkalinic) (Matute 2013)
Nematode Extraction
- Teasing and Blending
- Baermann Funnels
- Decanting and Sieving
- Oostenbrink Elutriator
