Wikipedia:Peer review/Soil pH/archive1

Soil pH

I've listed this article for peer review because I have recently made extensive edits, and think that the article is significantly better. I am looking mainly for comments on the overall structure and possible omissions - I am fairly happy with the details.

Thanks, Alandmanson (talk) 11:22, 7 June 2017 (UTC)

Comments by Kyle MoJo (talk) 10:43, 24 June 2017 (UTC)

Great article, I like it a lot.

Here are some comments (sorry, including some details...):

• You've used the word "alkalinity" as a synonym for high pH in the lead, in the section Soil pH#Sources of alkalinity, and in Soil pH#Determining pH, but this is not correct, or at least is ambiguous. Alkalinity as I know the word describes the acid neutralization capacity, which is a different thing to pH. I would suggest to avoid the word altogether. Maybe just open the lead with "Soil pH is a measure of the acidity of a soil".
• I think Soil pH#Determining pH would be better closer to the beginning or at the end (depending on how much importance you think it should get). At the moment it sits in the middle of discussion about pH effects and implications, which interrupts the flow a bit.
• Soil pH#Sources of acidity mentions the low pH of rainwater as a side issue, but I would argue that this point should be turned around, since the carbonic acid in rainwater is the key active player in the leaching processes. In a sense all the acidity of leached soils derives ultimately from this source.
• Soil pH#Sources of acidity could also include plant roots as CO2 sources, alongside microbial decomposition.
• In Soil pH#Sources of alkalinity, I'm not sure about the sentence "Weathering of silicate, aluminosilicate and carbonate minerals containing Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+ and K+". This seems to suggest that a soil with carbonate, for example, will increase in pH over time. Alternatively, if the meaning is alkalinity in my sense, above, that the soil solution will have greater buffering capacity after weathering than before. By my understanding, weathering of carbonate minerals could maintain a high soil pH, but not increase it (assuming the carbonate as parent material and not amendment).
• Aluminium toxicity is discussed under "acid soils" and under "nutrient availability", which is an unnecessary repetition.
• Soil pH#Determining pH sounds like the E horizon of a podzol is caused by limited incorporation of organic material from the surface, which is misleading.
• Also in Soil pH#Determining pH, the most common quantitative method of using a pH electrode in soil slurry with water or CaCl2 solution is not mentioned (e.g. here). Since water or CaCl2 lead to substantially different results, it might be worth expanding on this a bit (source, e.g. here)
• The style of the bullet list in Soil pH#Changing soil pH is less encyclopedic and more "how to" (WP:NOTHOWTO).

I've recently completed a draft rewrite of the article on cation exchange capacity. If you'd like to give it a read, I'd welcome comments: User:Kyle MoJo/CEC draft

Edits in response to review by Kyle MoJo

Thanks Kyle; just what was needed! I have made changes in response to most of the comments, and I think the article is greatly improved. The Soil pH#Sources of alkalinity section still needs attention - it probably needs a complete rewrite! I will have a look at your CEC draft. --Alandmanson (talk) 10:29, 26 June 2017 (UTC)