I should have been more specific. I think you refer to mineral salts. We're talking ammonium nitrate here. Bomb making materials.
I know for a fact nitrates had to be physically removed in my salt water fish tank. 50% Water changes are done biweekly. This is even with a living rock system. Live rock is rock foraged feom Tonga or fiji. Yeah I don't support it anymore
"These results demonstrate that soil management practices, such as manuring, that result in accumulations of organic carbon will result in increased microbial biomass and changes in community structure."
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0038071701000049
ammonium nitrate is present in the Nitrogen cycle as part of denytrification.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denitrification, its presence indicates a precursor, the conversion to N2 typically. This is the gas in its form in our atmosphere. The key to anything is knowing whats used, whats left in potential or other, and then adding only whats needed, either organic or synthetic, but it is true synthetic nitrogen burns carbon and so carbon, otherwise being replaced in organic systems by manures, composts, and so on, then becomes a limiting factor in synthetic system sustainability. It is likely those using synthetic N salts would benefit from the addition of char to the soil structure to help prevent leaching and maintain a balance ratio of Carbon to Nitrogen.
Plants use ammonium ions so I am not sure I am following the thread of thought?
is too much N a problem, yes it is, but can manures also contain high levels of salts? yes they can, its about balance.
its not that using a salt is bad per say, but using too much salt is bad, esp when it goes out of sync with available carbon. In my previous post I wasn't referring to particular salts, and indeed plants use multiple salts in various forms. see here this piece from Ed Bloodnick covering Na and Cl
Sodium and chloride are typically viewed as waste ions that plants do not need. This can be true if their levels are high in a water source. However, research has shown that plants do use these elements in small quantities.
Function: Sodium is not an essential element for plants but can be used in small quantities, similar to micronutrients, to aid in metabolism and synthesis of chlorophyll. In some plants, it can be used as a partial replacement for potassium and aids in the opening and closing of stomates, which helps regulate internal water balance. Chloride is needed in small quantities and aids in plant metabolism, photosynthesis, osmosis (movement of water in and out of plant cells) and ionic balance within the cell.
Deficiency: Sodium “deficiency” does not appear to exhibit any symptoms since it is not an essential element. Chloride deficiency can occur if there is consistently less than 2 ppm chloride in the growing medium and the symptoms appear as chlorotic blotches with necrotic spots located between the veins or on the margins of the younger leaves. In advanced cases, chloride deficiency could cause plant wilting. Both deficiencies rarely occur since most water sources provide them and fertilizers often have them as impurities.
is it true we have used too much N in the past and or today? yes we have, it is a problem, but we wont fix it by telling conservative minds to shape up. We need to be conscious of what we add at all times, but if we use method and data to support our decisions, rather than simply lumping nutrients, no one would be discussing this today.
Farmers where never really taught how to apply nutrients in keeping with system balance, we cant blame, we can only use what we know today to move forwards together. Tell me a hard pushed farmer who is going to tolerate a 20% yield drop in most cases during transition to organics, and i will go get a job sweeping streets bro.
there must be balance to any debate and people are free to live as they choose, for now at least :-)