The application of electrophoresis in soil research

Abstract

Soil is a complex mixture of minerals and organic matters in which microbes, plants, and animals interact. In the natural environment, soil constantly undergoes physical, chemical, and biological transformations under the influences of environmental factors such as humidity and temperature. Studies on soil chemical compositions, microbes, and abundances of plants and animals provide useful information on the soil property for proper land use planning. Since soil is a complex mixture, soil studies require the effective separation of its various components, which can be achieved with electrophoresis, a powerful method that exploits the inherent differences in the physical and chemical properties of these components. By combining electrophoresis with other technologies such as chromatography, mass spectrometry, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and DNA sequencing, substances including humic acids, amino acids, environmental pollutants, nutrients, and microbial, plant, and animal DNA can be identified and quantified. In this chapter, the applications of different electrophoresis-based technologies will be discussed with respect to soil research, and their principles, advantages, and limitations will be addressed.