The process of nitrification is known to exacerbate the development of soil and subsoil acidity, particularly in weathered and coarsely textured soils such as those often found in the Atlantic Coastal Plain in the Southeastern United States. The purpose of this research was to elucidate the relationship between typical soil properties in this region and the pattern of nitrification. The research shows that nitrification rates in these soils were found to be at or near the low end of the scale as compared with other reported rates. Lengths of lag phases were found to be at or near the high end of the scale. Rates and lag phases were closely related to both soil CEC and relative water content. This study also shows that the relationship between nitrification and change in soil pH is not simple and that buffering mechanisms related to the pattern of pH change in these soils need further study.
