Organic carbon, soluble ions and salinity in cultivated and forest soils

The long-term influence of conventional agricultural practices on soil characteristics compared with those of adjacent forest soils, and the influence of the sea on soil salinity were investigated. Results showed higher organic C, carbonate, water soluble Ca2+, NO3-, HPO42- and HCO3- contents, as well as pH and electrical conductivity in cultivated (C) soils than in forest (F) soils, probably due to the influence of agricultural management, in particular fertilizer use. Long-term cultivation did not seem to cause any effect on soil Na+, K+, Mg2+, Cl- andSO(4)(2-). The attempt to determine the direct influence of wind spray coming from the sea and the effect of sea water on typical chemical characteristics of soil (Na+, Cl-, SO42-, Ca2+, Mg2+ and their ratios) failed for both C and F soils.