Soil in which sodium is the primary cation and is present in large enough quantities to adversely affect plant growth
alkali soil (Wikipedia)
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Alkali, or Alkaline, soils are clay soils with high pH (greater than 8.5), a poor soil structure and a low infiltration capacity. Often they have a hard calcareous layer at 0.5 to 1 metre depth. Alkali soils owe their unfavorable physico-chemical properties mainly to the dominating presence of sodium carbonate, which causes the soil to swell and difficult to clarify/settle. They derive their name from the alkali metal group of elements, to which sodium belongs, and which can induce basicity. Sometimes these soils are also referred to as alkaline sodic soils.
Alkaline soils are basic, but not all basic soils are alkaline.
| Alkali soil | |
|---|---|
| Alkaline soils | |
 Rice cultivation / paddyfield in alkali soils | |
| Clay soil | |
| Key minerals | Sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate |
| Key process | Lime softening |
| pH | > 8.5 |