Dear Niguss,

Sindhu and Cornfield (1967) studied the effect of different soil moisture contents (from near the wilting point to water-logging) combined with various levels of added sodium chloride (0.5-2.0%) on the accumulation of mineral nitrogen (ammonia plus nitrate) during incubation (30°) of a neutral clay loam soil for 3 and 6 weeks. Their findings are summarized below.

(1) The optimum moisture content (50% m.w.h.c.) for mineralisation and nitrification was not affected by addition of sodium chloride.

(2) The most pronounced effect of sodium chloride in reducing mineralisation and nitritification occurred at the lowest moisture content and was very marked even at the lowest level (0.5%) of sodium chloride. Nitrification was completely suppressed by 1-2% sodium chloride at all moisture contents but ammonification continued even with 2% sodium chloride. The presence of 1-2% sodium chloride resulted in loss of nitrate at both low and high moisture contents, whilst 0.5% sodium chloride caused loss of nitrate only at 25% m.w.h.c.

For detailed information, I suggest you to read their full paper referred below

Sindhu MA and Cornfield AH (1967) Effect of sodium chloride and moisture content on ammonification and nitrification in incubated soil. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 18(11):505-6.

Dear Niguss:

Saline soils are characterised by low oxygen solubility.  Under these circumstances denitrification is better induced than nitrification. 

Sodium does not affect negatively...nitrate can be assimilated or used as final electron accept (anaerobically) in presente of nitrate without problems.

I suggest you to have a look to the papers about denitrification in halophiles.  Some of them are from our group. 

Good luck 

Rosa María Martínez-Espinosa 

Dear Rosa and Dilip I thank you for your helpful answers and suggestions.

But I specifically wanted from point of adsorption. for example if the dissolution of NaCl in soil will induce competition between Cl- ion and Nitrate ion for the adsorption site on the positively charged soil particles or other soil amendments like biochar. Possible recommendation of some literature from this point of view will be very helpful. Thank you.

As I understand, the phosphate is adsorbed on positively charged sites in soil mainly in acidic range and to some extent in alkaline range . Sulphate is also adsorbed on positively charged sites if soil pH is less than 5.5.Both nitrate and chloride are very weakly adsorbed on positively charged sites.I do not expect much competition between chloride and nitrate for positively charged sites.

I could locate a paper in researchgate  on nitrate and chloride adsorption in soils.

Adsorption of chloride and nitrate by variable charge soils in relation to the electric charge of soil. Wang,P  et al 1987 Journal of plant nutrition and soil  science150,017-023.

https://www .researchgate. net/publication/230043225

Thank you dear Annangi. It is very helpful. 

Both NO3 and Cl adsorbed on the positively charged surfaces by non-specific adsorption. Therefore a competition between these two ion is likely. On the other hand the presence of other ions either cations or anions increase the ionic strenght thus the behaviour adsorption at different ionic strenght is expected to be different. There are many researches in the literature dealing with adsorption and ionic strenght.