Manganese status of some important Ohio soil types and uptake of manganese by Kentucky bluegrass

This research comprised (a) manganese determinations, total, replaceable, as MnO2, and available, of the A horizon of several important Ohio soil types; (b) manganese uptake by Kentucky bluegrass grown on these soils; and (c) observations of the relationships between manganese content of soils and their genetic characteristics and manganese content of Kentucky bluegrass and soil reaction and soil aeration. A wide variation in all forms of determined manganese in the soil was observed. In a general way, the more highly leached soils were lower in all forms of manganese. An exception appeared in the instance of Clermont silt loam, a highly leached soil which showed a total and replaceable manganese content much higher than its comparable soil, Blanchester silt loam. This is probably due to an accumulation of manganese in the form of concretions, a well-recognized feature of the Clermont silt loam profile. The nature of a soil's parent material could not be used as an index of the manganese content of that soil. Grass grown on Miami silty clay loam carried the lowest manganese content. The soil on which the grass was grown showed the second lowest in total manganese, fourth lowest in replaceable manganese, second lowest in manganese dioxide, and lowest in the available form. Likewise, Trumbull silty clay loam was second highest in manganese content of grass, highest in total and replaceable manganese, third highest in manganese dioxide, and highest in available manganese. On the contrary, Clermont silt loam carried the highest manganese content in grass, third lowest in total, second highest in replaceable, lowest in manganese dioxide, and near average in available manganese The manganese uptake in parts per million by bluegrass on soils below pH 5.0 averaged 7.68 as compared with I-84 On soils of pH 5.0 or above. Aeration, as associated with drainage, influenced the manganese uptake of Kentucky bluegrass. Bluegrass growing on poorly drained soils low in organic matter contained, as an average, 10.33 parts per million of manganese, while that from poorly drained dark-colored soils, high in organic matter, contained 2.00 parts per million.