Research Article Open Access

Serpentine Soils, Adverse Habitat for Plants

Mahsa Tashakor1, Wan Zuhairi Wan Yaacob1 and Hamzah Mohamad2
  • 1 University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia
  • 2 University Science Malaysia, Malaysia

Abstract

The unpleasant effect of serpentine soil on plant life has been a topic of many studies for several decades. Infertility and flora selectivity nature of serpentine soils are the features, which made them of interest throughout the world. This research includes a geochemical study on two Malaysian serpentine massifs to introduce their harmful factors concerning vegetation. X-ray fluorescence results on 11 soil samples showed that serpentine soils comprise large values of iron and magnesium (up to 55 wt and 65 wt% respectively) and high amounts of some heavy metals like chromium (1248-18990 µg g-1), nickel (189-1692 µg g-1) and cobalt (95-478 µg g-1). However, soil extraction by ammonium acetate solution revealed that only magnesium is plant available. Besides, serpentine soils are poor in some major plant nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. This substantial paucity is the main cause of bareness in these lands. Soils in the studied areas are moderately acidic and have the adequate cation holding capacity. Their Ca/Mg quotient is very low (less than 1). The latter with the low availability of the calcium (0.34 m-equiv 100 g-1 in average) is another challenging parameter in serpentine soils, which exerts negative influence on plant growing.

American Journal of Environmental Sciences
Volume 9 No. 1, 2013, 82-87

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3844/ajessp.2013.82.87

Submitted On: 1 January 2013 Published On: 26 February 2013

How to Cite: Tashakor, M., Yaacob, W. Z. W. & Mohamad, H. (2013). Serpentine Soils, Adverse Habitat for Plants. American Journal of Environmental Sciences, 9(1), 82-87. https://doi.org/10.3844/ajessp.2013.82.87

  • 3,887 Views
  • 4,290 Downloads
  • 10 Citations

Download

Keywords

  • Serpentine Soils
  • Geochemistry
  • Harmful Effects
  • Plant Life