Source: John Hart, FARM PROGRESS, 9/7/22

Aluminum is highly toxic for plants, particularly cotton, and every effort must be made to neutralize it by keeping soil pH at 6.2. A challenge is when plant roots reach a soil layer with aluminum, the root growth just stops. Speaking at the CHROME Ag Expo Aug. 16 at the Peanut Belt Research Station in Lewiston-Woodville, N.C, North Carolina State University Extension Soil Fertility Specialist Luke Gatiboni explained that aluminum occurs in soils with pH below 5.5, and as soil pH decreases, aluminum increases. That’s why it’s critical to maintain a soil pH of 6.2 in cotton.

For more of this story, click here.