| Abstract: | A laboratory incubation experiment using soil columns was conducted to study the effects of monocalcium phosphate (MCP) and potassium chloride (KCl) on soil pH changes in fertilizer microsites with two Chinese soils. Mixtures of two fertilizers at two rates (0 and 0.26 g per column) were added to the surface of soil cylinders. The results shown that both fertilizers significantly decreased soil pH after 7 d and 28 d, which declined with time and distance from fertilizer site. Compared with KCl alone, the soil pH decrease close to the fertilizer site induced by applied KCl was slowed down in the acidic red soil by MCP addition but was promoted in the calcareous soil. Compared with MCP alone, the application of KCl with MCP had greater effects of reducing pH in both soils. The magnitude and extent of soil pH changes were mostly contributed by KCl in the KCl plus MCP treatment. |
