Land and Biodiversity

Soil Acidification

Soils that become excessively acidic do not support healthy plant growth and can be permanently damaged. Some soils are naturally acidic but accelerated acidification is generally a by-product of increasing soil fertility for agriculture. Excess nitrogen application disrupts normal soil nitrogen cycles and results in acidification. This problem is mostly associated with agricultural land and can be difficult to detect before it becomes severe. The potential costs of soil acidification are high and acidification of soils can interfere with efforts to manage salinity. Soil acidification is now becoming more widely recognised as a serious cause of land degradation in Victoria. Soil pH (acidity or alkalinity) is often tested by individual land managers but a statewide assessment has not been compiled since 1994, so it is difficult to identify areas where acidification is proceeding rapidly.

This section presents the most recent map of soil pH for Victoria, and data on the increasing use of nitrogen fertiliser. The repercussions of accelerated soil acidification for other environmental issues are discussed. Acidification is treated as a component of soil health in Victoria, and regional soil health programs are also discussed in this section.

Part 4.2.7 - Soil Acidification (PDF - 220 KB)