Abstract
To investigate the effects of soil acidification on growth of Impatiens balsamina L. plants were transplanted to acidified soils with H$_2$SO$_4$ solution. The concentrations of soluble Ca, Mg, K, Al and Mn in the acidified soils increased with increment of H$^{+}$ addition to the soil. In both species, the plant height and root length were inhibited by soil acidification, showing much severer inhibition in Impatiens balsamina L. than in Tagetes patula L., As the soil pH decreases, the growth of underground parts decreased greatly than that of above ground parts in both species. Total dry weight decreased with increased Al concentration as well as lowered soil pH in both plants. There was a strong positive correlation between relative total dry weight and molar (Ca+Mg+K) / Al ratio of the soil. The results suggest that molar(Ca+Mg+K)/ Al ratio of the soil may be useful indicator for assessing the critical load of acid deposition in herb species.s.