INFLUENCE OF THE SALTS COMMON 
IN ALKALI SOILS UPON THE GROWTH OF 
RICE PLANTS. 
By 
Koji Miyake, Nögakushi. 
The influence of alkali salts upon the germination and growth of plants 
has been studied by various investigators. Since alkali soils were discovered 
to be extensively distributed in western parts of United States of America, 
the toxicity of the salts common in alkali soils upon the growth of different 
plants was made the subject of special study by many American scientists. 
They found that not only the critical concentration of the same salt was 
very different for different plants, but the toxicity of the various salts also 
differed widely, and moreover that the presence of a second salt, notably 
calcium sulphate, not only greatly increases the endurable concentration of 
the more toxic salt, but tends to equalize the toxicity of the different salts. 
In regard to the influence of the alkali salts upon the germination and 
growth of rice, which is the most important field crop in our country, no 
special investigation has been reported up to the present time. 
In 1909 alkali soils were found for the first time in our country by 
Prof. K. Oshima and K. Shibuya 1 ’, to be widely distributed in central 
and southern parts of Formosa, Japan. Since then, the distribution, nature 
and method of reclamation of the alkali lands there are being studied by the 
Government of Formosa. The principal soluble salts found in alkali soils 
of Formosa are sulphates and chlorides of sodium, potassium, calcium, and 
magnesium, while the carbonates are found in much smaller amount. 
Under the circumstances, it seemed to us to be of much practical im- 
portance as well as scientific interest to study the influence of various salts 
1) Cf. K. Shibuya — Investigations on Alkali Soils of Formosa (in Japanese)— Publ. by 
the Bureau of Productive Industrie^, Government of Formosa, 1912. 
