UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



m BULLETIN No. 441 



<Mk>i^if^? Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry J? 



Jl\J^"^^U 



Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry 

 WM. A. TAYLOR, Chief 



^^^^^U 



Washington, D. C. 



PROFESSIONAL PAPER 



October 27, 1916 



THE ACTION OF MANGANESE UNDER ACID AND 

 NEUTRAL SOIL CONDITIONS. 



By J. J. Skinner and F. R. Reid, Biochemists, Office of Soil- Fertility Investigations. 



CONTENTS. 



Introduction 



Effect of manganese on Arlington soil under 

 acid conditions 



Oxidative power of plats with and without 

 rnauganese under acid conditions 



Page. 

 1 



Page. 

 Effect of manganese on Arlington soil imder 



neutral conditions 6 



Oxidative power of plats with and without 



manganese under neutral conditions 9 



Summary '. n 



INTRODUCTION. 



Investigations of the action of manganese on plants and soils 

 have been conducted by the OflS.ce of Soil-Fertihty Investigations 

 both in the laboratory and in the field for several years. 



Alangancse is universally found in soils and plants. Robinson/ 

 who examined 26 American soils, found the content of manganese 

 CMnO) to be from 0.01 to 0.51 j^er cent, the average being 0.071 per 

 cent, and Kelley - found in Hawaiian soils amounts varying from 

 less than 0.1 to 9.74 per cent MngO.,. 



A number of investigators have studied the effect of manganese 

 on plants in botli water and soil cultures, and from the evidence at 

 hand it seems that in most cases manganese in small amounts exer- 

 cises a stimulatijig action on growth. A general r(^view of the liter- 

 ature? on the su])ject jias been given in former pai)eis of members of 



« Sullivan, M. X., and Robinson, W. O. Manganese as a fertilizer. U. S. Dept. Agr., Bur. Soils C'irc. 

 75, 3 p. 191.3. 



» Kelley, W. 1'. The influence of manganese on the growth of pineapples. Hawaii Agr. Exi). Sta. 

 Press IJul. 23, 11 p., n. d. 



Manganese in some of its relations to the growth of pineapples. In Jour. Indus, luid Engin 



Chem., V. l,no.8, p. 5.'«-i).38. 1909. 



Note.— The results given in this bulletin throw further light on the effect of this catalytic fertilizer under 

 various soil conditions. That its etTect is dependcnl, on Iho roardon of the soil is dt^monstratcd. Tlio 

 bulletin Is of interest to srientiflc investigators, U, triiiiiiifacl iirers of catalytic forlilizers, and to those grow- 

 ers whose technical Iruiiiint; induces them to o.xjMsriment with new substances to iucreiuso or control croj) 

 f>rod action. 



oTlfA'— HiiJI. Ill I'i 



