Summary
Although the cereals wheat and barley are normally regarded as sensitive to the effects of soil acidity, all varieties of these are not equally so. Some of the ways in which varieties react with soil acidity have been investigated. It was found that some varieties were tolerant of high aluminium, whereas others were tolerant of high concentrations of manganese. Because of their geological origin, individual soils show differences in the factors which cause injury to plants at low pH levels. It is suggested that this provides an explanation of the fact that some varieties of cereals will thrive on one acid soil but not in another. The application of this principle to plant breeding is discussed.
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Neenan, M. The effects of soil acidity on the growth of cereals with particular reference to the differential reaction of varieties thereto. Plant Soil 12, 324–338 (1960). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02232989
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02232989