THE INFLUENCE OF ACIDIFICATION ON SOME CHEMICAL AND MICROBIOLOGICAL PROPERTIES OF SOIL, THOSE DETERMINING PLANT VIABILITY

The degradation of plant community along the transect in the course of increasing soil acidity was investigated. The attention was paid to c auses, resulting in decreased number of species. Low pH values of soil solution resulted in leaching out of nutrients (Ca, Mg, K) and increa se of Al3+ concentration. Increased amounts of aluminium, found in the tissues of overground plant parts are probably the main cause of thei r destruction and/or dying-away. The physical and chemical properties, that were changed, reduced the microbial activity in the soil, what r esulted in the reduction of cellulose decomposition. The micromycetes genera such as Chaetomium, Trichoderma, Penicillium and Curvularia sho wed to be relatively tolerant.