Deep Core Soil Saturation Extracts

*We have hypothesized that large rhizobial population densities can occur at considerable depths in woody legume systems where deep moisture also occurs. However, associated with deep soil environments are low concentrations of soil nutrients that might affect nodulation and also limit survival of free-living rhizobia. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine if results from a previous study of a mesquite woodland utilizing groundwater in the Californian Sonoran desert were generizable to mesquite systems in other deserts where root depth varied with ecosystem type and (2) examine possible relationships of soil properties and host-plant phenology to rhizobial concentrations. Data set contains analyses for SO4, sodium, calcium, manganese, sodium-absorption-ration, total cations, electrical conductivity, pH, saturation percentage, total carbon, inorganic carbon, organic carbon, and gravimetric soil moisture.