Another study worth mentioning for its prevalence in the alternative agriculture literature is that undertaken by Bear and Toth in 1948 investigating the mineral composition of fruit and vegetables on a range of different soils across the US.Bear, F.E., S.J. Toth, and A.L. Prince. 1948. Variation in mineral composition of vegetables. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. Proc. 13:380–384. Indeed, this old study remains so prevalent because of the dearth of literature comparing soil properties and crop nutritional value. The study suggests that soil composition effects mineral content of crops, but due to the large numbers of unexplored variables it is difficult to draw firm conclusions.
