Buffer Ph methods for estimation of lime requirement of tropical acid soils

Abstract

Lime requirements (LR) of 26 agricultural acid soils were estimated using the following buffer methods: Shoemaker‐McLean‐Pratt (SMP) single buffer (SMP‐SB), SMP double buffer (SMP‐DB), Mehlich buffer method for crops with high LR (MEHLICH I), and Mehlich buffer methods for crops with low LR (MEHLICH II). The LR were determined to three pH targets (6.5, 6.0 and 5.5). The LR values were then evaluated through regression analysis using LR values obtained by the Ca(OH)₂ titration (for the 6.5 pH target) and moist CaCO₃‐incubation (for the 6.0 and 5.5 pH targets) as reference methods. All the buffer methods were well correlated with the reference methods but the SMP‐DB gave the best results for both high and low LR soils, and was particularly impressive at the lowest pH target.     

Evaluation of lime requirement methods for Delaware soils

Abstract

Rapid, accurate identification of the lime required to attain a desired pH is essential for the coarse‐textured soils of the Atlantic coastal plain to avoid micronutrient deficiencies (Mn, Zn) in sensitive crops and to insure herbicide efficacy. The University of Delaware Soil Testing laboratory is one of only seven of the 25 states in the Northeastern and Southern regions that does not use a buffer solution to make lime requirement determinations. The present method bases lime recommendations on soil pH in water, combined with an estimate of buffering capacity obtained by hand texturing soils. This approach is time‐consuming and includes the potential for considerable operator variability in obtaining the textural estimate. A study was initiated to compare four buffer solutions (Adams‐Evans, Mehlich, SMP‐single buffer, SMP‐double buffer) with the current approach and the actual lime requirement as determined by incubation of 19 Delaware soils with six rates of CaCO₃ for six months. Soil pH effects on Mn and Zn availability were determined by extraction of all samples from the incubation study with the Mehlich I (.05M HCl + .0125M H₂SO4) soil testing solution. Results indicated that organic matter was the primary soil component responsible for pH buffering in Delaware soils, and that the Adams‐Evans or Mehlich buffers were the best predictors of actual lime requirement. The appropriate target pH range for the coarse‐textured soils of Delaware, based on Mn and Zn availability, was determined to be 5.5–6.0. Liming soils to pH values greater than 6.0 is, for most crops, unnecessary and will reduce Mn availability below critical levels for sensitive crops such as soybeans and small grains.     

Wear rate of animal-drawn ploughshares in selected Ghanaian soils

Rapid ploughshare wear was identified as a major constraint facing animal traction farmers in Ghana. The objectives of this study were to: (i) identify the types of animal-drawn ploughshare used by farmers and their production methods, (ii) develop and test a new cast steel share and compare its performance with existing ploughshares, and (iii) determine the factors responsible for the rapid wear and durability of ploughshares in selected soils in the country. To address this problem, new and used ploughshares were collected from farmers, blacksmiths and foundries and their microstructure, chemical composition and hardness were studied. Based on the above studies, new cast steel ploughshares were developed. On-farm tests were conducted on the new shares for wear and durability in the major animal traction soils in the country. On-station field trials with tractor-drawn shares were carried out to compare the performance of the new ploughshares with the imported and local blacksmith versions. Multivariate statistical methods were used to analyse the similarities among the shares with respect to producers, chemical composition, share hardness, soil physical factors (moisture content, bulk density, cone index and soil texture) and their relationship to wear rate. When pulled by tractor, the average wear rates of the imported, improved and blacksmith shares in soils containing 50%, 64% and 74% sand were 297, 362 and 562 g/ha, respectively. The average wear rates of the new share when pulled by animals in the major soil classifications were: Eutric Plinthosols, 146 g/ha; Plinthic Lixisols, 164 g/ha and Haplic Lixisols, 176 g/ha, respectively. This gave an average durability of 3–8 ha/share before the farmer declares the new ploughshare completely worn. This compares with 1–2 ha and 2–5 ha per share wear rates for the blacksmith-forged and the imported shares, respectively. The study concluded the new cast steel ploughshares have qualities of enhanced durability and toughness similar to the imported versions and more durable than the local blacksmith shares and have prospects for mass production.     

Predicting the lime requirement of soils under permanent grassland and arable crops

Abstract. Graphs of soil pH against time were plotted for the Park Grass Experiment at Rothamsted Experimental Station, begun in 1856, and the Long-term Liming Experiments at Rothamsted and Woburn farms, begun in 1962. These showed that the magnitude and duration of the effect of lime applications varied with soil type, initial pH, fertilizer nitrogen application, and the crop grown. Simple equations for each situation were linked to form an empirical model which, with appropriate input data for soil type, crop, and initial and target pH, predicted the lime needed to reach that pH. Model predictions compared well with estimates from a Woodruff-type buffer method. The model forms a sound basis for a more comprehensive lime requirement model covering the whole of the United Kingdom.     

New buffer pH method for rapid estimation of exchangeable acidity and lime requirement of soils

Abstract

A new buffer pH method (BpH) for the rapid estimation of unbuffered salt‐exchangeable acidity (ACe) and lime requirement (LR) has been developed. The buffer reagent, consisting of sodium glycerophosphate, acetic acid, trletlianolamine, ammonium chloride and barium chloride, was useful within the pH range 3.8 to 6.6. Delta values from BpH were converted into buffer pH acidity values (AC) and calibrated against ACe of 91 mineral soils and 100 acid Histosols. The correlation coefficients between AC and ACe were 0.966 and 0.956 for the mineral soils and Histosols, respectively. The corresponding regression equations in terms of meq/100 cm were ACe ‐ ‐0.54 + 0.96 AC and ACe = ‐7.4 + 1.6 AC for mineral soils and Histosols, respectively.

To predict lime requirement of mineral soils a curvilinear equation was required. The equation, LR in meq CaCO₃/100 cm³ = 0.1 (AC)² + AC, was tested successfully against rates of lime carried out under laboratory conditions and against crop response in the greenhouse. Field studies on acid Histosols with maize and soybeans showed optimum yield when the rate of lime added was approximately equivalent to ACe.     

A rapid method for predicting the lime requirement of acidic temperate soils with widely varying organic matter contents. II. Testing the lime requirement model

A model for predicting lime requirement (Bailey et al. , 1989) was tested using data from independent liming experiments on soils from Northern Ireland and New Zealand. Lime requirements predicted by the model were also compared with those obtained by the methods currently used by the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland and by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in England and Wales.
The model predicted lime requirement precisely for the independent set of soils from Northern Ireland, and was as reliable at predicting lime requirement for New Zealand soils as the best of seven other quick-test methods. The model was more reliable at predicting lime requirement for soils from Northern Ireland than the method currently used by the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland, and appeared to be as reliable as the method used by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in England and Wales.     

Improved SMP buffer method for determining lime requirements of acid soils

Abstract

Single buffer‐two pH and two‐buffer adaptations were compared as double buffer features of the SMP method using a group of 54 soils of wide range in lime requirement (LR). Data from both methods were highly correlated both with each other and with Ca(OH)₂‐titrated acidity.

Formulas for LR based on the schematics of similar triangles relating differences in measured pH vs corresponding acidities for the double buffer system were developed. A regression equation relating buffer‐indicated LR and Ca(OH)₂ titrated acidity was used to adjust the quick‐test double buffer‐indicated values to levels nearer the actual ones. A recommended SMP double buffer procedure, and a formula for computing LR from soil‐buffer pH's measured by the double buffer, quick‐test method are presented.     

A rapid method for predicting the lime requirement of acidic temperate soils with widely varying organic matter contents. I. Development of the lime requirement model

A model to describe the shapes of soil pH-CaCO₃ neutralization curves is presented. The model can be used to predict lime requirement in soils with widely varying organic matter contents. Parameters of the model are predicted from the easily measured soil properties of sample density and initial pH. The results suggest that soil titratable acidity is primarily related to soil organic matter content, and that soil organic matter content may be predicted from measurements of soil sample density. The proposed method for predicting lime requirement should be superior to other established quick-test methods for routine soil testing both in terms of speed and versatility.     

Principles underlying the practice of determining lime requirements of acid soils by use of buffer methods

Abstract

A buffer is generally a mixture of a weak acid and a salt of the same weak acid. Hence it can neutralize both acids and bases, and thus resists marked changes in pH of a system. Yet systematic change in pH of a buffer caused by addition of an acidic substance can be used to indicate the total acidity represented by the change in buffer pH. Since acid soil is itself a buffer, when it is added to a buffer mixture for the purpose of measuring its acidity or lime requirement (LR), the resulting double‐buffer suspension (soil‐buffer) is a relatively complex system. Much of the complication in interpreting the changes in buffer pH brought about by mixing soil and buffer stems from the facts: i) that much of the acidity is pH‐dependent, and ii) that quick‐test methodology involves reaction of only a fraction of the total soil acidity with the buffer. Marked change in relative amounts of H ions dissociating from the soil‐SMP‐buffer system at soil‐buffer pH 6.9 and above accounts for relatively wide variations between buffer‐indicated and CaCO₃ incubation‐measured LR of low LR soils. Similarly, decreased reactivity of H⁺ in high organic matter soils and increased reactivity of H in acid‐leached soils cause errors in buffer‐indicated LR. Awareness of these principles helps avoid pitfalls of existing buffer methods, and has led to incorporation of the double‐buffer feature for improving the SMP method.     

Comparison of some methods for determination of sulfate in soils

Abstract

Sulfate (SO₄ ^2‐) is present in soils as salts of various metals, and the different metals associated with sulfate may influence adsorption of SO₄ ^2‐by soils. The analytical method used for determination of SO₄ ^2‐could be affected by the type of metal associated with the SO₄ ^2‐. Four analytical methods based on different principles were evaluated for determination of SO₄ ^2‐in different metal salts and in soil extracts obtained with three extractants {0.1M lithium chloride (LiCl), 0.15% calcium chloride (CaCl₂), and 500 mg P/L as calcium phosphate [Ca(H₂PO₄)2]}. The analytical methods were: (i) a methylene blue (MB) colorimetric method after the reduction of SO₄ ^2‐to hyrogen sulfide (H₂S), (ii) an ion Chromatographie (IC) method, (iii) a turbidimetric (TD) method, and (iv) an indirect barium (Ba) atomic absorption spectrophotometric (SP) method. The recovery of SO₄ ^2‐associated with various mono‐, di‐, and tri‐valent metals was quantitative by the MB method. But, trivalent metals, such as aluminum (Al), indium (In), lanthanum (La), and scandium (IC), decreased the recovery of SO₄ ^2‐by the other three methods. The MB and IC methods gave similar values for SO₄ ^2‐in soils by using the three extractants. The TD and SP methods gave variable results and, in general, underestimated the amounts of SO₄ ^2‐in soils. Among the four methods, the MB and IC methods were the most accurate and precise.     

A robotic procedure for the determination of soil lime requirement

Abstract

A commercial laboratory robot has been programmed to aid in the determination of soil lime requirement. Soil samples submitted to our laboratory, after drying, grinding, and sieving, are manually scooped into racks of pre‐weighed glass tubes. From this point onward, the robot performs all functions. The weight of soil in each tube is obtained using an analytical balance. Deionized water is added using a mobile pipet, and the contents of each tube stirred, and optionally centrifuged. The soil/water pH (pHw) is determined using a mobile combination electrode. SMP buffer solution is added, the contents stirred, optionally centrifuged again, and the soil/SMP buffer pH (pHsMP) value is obtained. The weight and two sets of pH data for each soil sample are transferred to disk, and lime requirement results calculated using a computer spreadsheet program.     

A comparison of lime requirements by five methods on grassland mineral soils in Ireland

Liming is necessary for good nutrient availability and crop growth. Lime use in Ireland is now the lowest in half a century. A recent study shows that grassland mineral soils in Ireland has a mean pH of 5.4 and mean lime requirement (LR) of 9.3 t/ha ground limestone. There have been a number of studies in the USA to re-evaluate LR, but little activity in the European Union (EU) in recent years. The primary aim of our research was to compare five methods for estimating LR, which included the Shoemaker–McLean–Pratt (SMP) buffer method currently used in Ireland (IRL), the Sikora buffer method used at the University of Kentucky (UKY), Ca(OH)₂ titration used at University of Georgia (UGA), the modified Mehlich buffer method used at Penn State University (PSU) and the UK RothLime model, using 57 representative grassland mineral soils from Ireland with a pH range from 4.8 to 6.6. The secondary aim was to explore an alternative to the SMP buffer that does not involve the use of toxic chemicals. The results show good agreement between the pH measured by the Irish and three US laboratories and reasonably good agreement in LR estimated by five methods. The main conclusions are: (1) a significant proportion of grassland on mineral soils in Ireland would benefit from liming to increase soil pH, (2) on average, LRs as recommended in Ireland are higher than those advised elsewhere , ( 3) the target pH in Ireland is high compared with that in other countries and should be reduced from pH 6.5 to 6.2, (4) the SMP buffer method should be replaced by a suitable alternative and, in principle, any of the four methods studied would be suitable, (5) to find the most suitable alternative for accurate LR advice it would be necessary to compare the different methods to the actual LR from incubation of representative soils with calcium hydroxide.     

Lime requirement for agricultural soils: A review of the current and potential methods for routine use

Liming is one of the key agronomic practices to improve crop yields in acid soils because, among other things, it reduces aluminum toxicity and creates favorable conditions for crop growth. For an effective liming program, the methods to determine lime requirement should be as precise as possible. This paper reviews the existing lime requirement methods and discusses the potential of a new one suitable for routine use in the laboratory to test most agricultural soils. The most widely used lime requirement methods can be categorized into four groups: titration, incubation, buffer, and field methods. Other methods such as spectroscopy method or the use of empirical equations have also been adopted. Although some methods are highly reliable, they are not optimal for routine use because they are inconvenient during the laboratory procedures or cannot be validated for all conditions. Based on the linearity between soil pH and the added base in the pH range from 4.5–6.5 in most agricultural soils, a titration-based method on 1:1 soil:0.01 M CaCl₂ slurry of a single sample appears to be a promising candidate for routine use. In further studies, this generally applicable method should be evaluated to provide a better comparison to established methods for lime requirement determination.     

Evaluation of soil test methods for estimation of available phosphorus in some Portuguese soils: A greenhouse study

Abstract

The Egnér‐Riehm method for estimating plant‐available soil phosphorus (P) has been used as the standard soil testing method in Portugal for making fertilizer recommendations. However, this method does not accurately reflect the available P status for wheat in some representative soils from the South Region of the country. Therefore, a pot experiment was established with four Luvisols (LVx, LVv, and two different LVh soils) from the South Region of Portugal in order to evaluate the Egnér‐Riehm, Bray I, Bray II, Olsen, and Anion Exchange Resin (AER) methods for their ability to estimate available P in those soils. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L., cv. Panda) was used as test the crop. The experiment was arranged into a randomized complete block design with three replications and five rates (0, 50, 100,150, and 200 mg kg^‐1) of P added to each soil. Critical soil P levels for LVx were established in case for Bray I (27.9 mg kg^‐1), Bray II (33.5 mg kg^‐1), Egnér‐Riehm (25.4 mg kg^‐1), and AER (14.7 mg kg^‐1) soil test procedures. Regarding the other soils, the critical soil P levels could not be estimated. The obtained results confirm that the development of an universal soil test P exti action is of great importance, and that further research should be conducted in order to evaluate routine soil fertility tests in different pedoclimatic environments.     

Charge distribution of selected venezuelan soils with some pedogenic and agrotechnological implications

Abstract

A study of the electrical charge distribution of selected Venezuelan soils (two Oxisols, two Ultisols, and one Alfisol) by potentiometric titration (PT) and ion adsorption (IA) procedures, showed that all soils have a predominance of negative charge at their natural pH level and within the experimental pH range used (3.5–7.5). The only exception was the Amazonas 2 soil, which has a point of zero net charge (PZNC) at pH 3.5. Potentiometric titration (PT) results allowed us to find the point of zero salt effect (PZSE) of these soils, which is related to their pedogenetic development. The order found, from older to younger, was: Guanipa (Oxisol) > Amazonas (Oxisol) > Lomas de Cubiro (Ultisol) > Altos de Pipe (Ultisol) > Barinas (Alfisol). The Stoop's method, used to determine the PZSE of the soils, was found to be a more efficient and shorter way than PT for this purpose. Ion adsorption (IA) was a more realistic way than PT to determine charge distribution for the studied soils. The soils were classified according to their charge distribution, following Gillman and Sinclair (4), as type 1 (Barinas, Lomas de Cubiro, Altos de Pipe, Amazonas 1) and type 2 (Amazonas 2 and Guanipa). This classification has agrotechnological and management implications related to the effect of added amendments, fertilizer and pollutants that would interact as ions in these soils. The low anion exchange capacity (AEC) of all these soils means low absorption capacity for non‐specifically adsorbed anions, and therefore, their probable ease of leaching down through the soil profile.     

Forms of aluminium in some acid permanent grassland soils

The more labile forms of aluminium in a range of soils from areas of permanent grassland were determined with a number of selective extractants. The amounts of exchangeable A1 extracted with molar KCl were dependent upon pH, while the amounts exchangeable with 0.3 M LaCl³, although much greater, were not well correlated with pH. There were good correlations between soil organic C content and A1 extracted by (i) 0.5 M EDTA and (ii) 0.1 M potassium pyrophosphate. Pyrophosphate extracted greater amounts than any of the other extractants (sodium citrate/dithionite, ammonium oxalate (dark), acid oxalate (UV radiation), as well as those already mentioned). It was concluded that much of the extractable A1 in soils was associated with organic matter. Addition of lime to one of the soils reduced the amount of A1 extracted by all reagents except dithionite and acid oxalate solutions. There were considerable differences between soils in their release of A1 to continuous leaching with 0.01 M CaCl². Despite these differences between the soils in organically bound extractable Al, the differences in the amounts and patterns of release of A1 with CaCl² did not appear to be related to organic matter contents, nor to the other determined properties.     

Isotope methods for assessing plant available phosphorus in acid tropical soils

Use of isotope methods to measure the availability of phosphorus (P) in soils that are well supplied with P is well established. We have evaluated such methods for acid tropical soils with very small P contents, which are less well studied. The isotopically exchangeable P in soil suspensions (E value) and that in plant growth experiments (L value) were measured in soils that had received varying amounts of P fertilizer in two field experiments in Colombia. We determined the E values over 4–5 weeks of equilibration allowing for the kinetics of isotope exchange. The decrease in radioactivity in the soil solution at a particular time, t, divided by that at the start (r_t/R) was described by three parameters (r₁/R, r_∞/R, and a coefficient n) derived from the time course of isotopic exchange over 100 minutes. Values of E_t were calculated either from measured values of r_t/R or those extrapolated until 12 weeks. Agrostis capillaris was grown on the same soils labelled with carrier‐free ³³P‐orthophosphate ions to obtain L values. Agreement between E values derived from measured and extrapolated values of r_t/R was satisfactory, but errors in n and r_∞/R limited the precision with which we could estimate E values. For most soils, the P concentrations in the soil solution were greater than the detection limit of the malachite green method (0.9 µg l^?1) but smaller than its quantification limit (3.6 µg l^?1). In the soils with the least available P, the P content of the seed limited the determination of the L value. The E values were strongly correlated, but not identical, with the L values measured for the same time of isotopic exchange. We conclude that these approaches are not precise enough to detect in these soils the ability of a plant to access slowly exchangeable forms of P or to quantify the mineralization of organic P. However, these isotope techniques can be used to estimate the total fraction of added fertilizer P that remains available to the plants.     

哲里木盟盐渍土类型、利用现状及改良利用对策

本文阐述了内蒙古哲里木盟盐土、碱土、盐碱化土壤的分布与类型 ,在对目前改良利用现状加以分析的基础上 ,结合其所含盐分类型、含量等因素 ,提出了适宜哲里木盟农牧业生产实际的改良利用对策 ,展望了改良利用前景     

Adsorption and translocation of sulfur in some tropical acid soils

In view of growing concern about sulfur (S) deficiency, we attempted to study the effect of soil characteristics on the adsorption and translocation of S in soils. Laboratory experiments were conducted with five surface soils collected from three regions in the state of Orissa (Eastern India). In an adsorption study, all the soils were equilibrated with graded doses of potassium sulfate (K₂SO₄). Freundlich adsorption isotherms provided good fit to S adsorption data. Free Fe₂O₃ and Al₂O₃ in the soils were primarily responsible for retaining added S in soils. Further, studies on the movement of sulfate‐S in 30‐cm plexiglass columns, where radio‐labeled S along with water (5 cm) was applied as gypsum and K₂SO₄, showed that K₂SO₄‐S migrated deeper than gypsum‐S. Sulfur moved deeper in case of initially water‐saturated soils than in initially air‐dry soils.     

澳大利亚东部地区一些酸性硫酸盐土壤磷的特征

Forty-five acid sulfate topsoil samples (depth < 0.5 m) from 15 soil cores were collected from 11 locations along the New South Wales coast, Australia. There was an overall trend for the concentration of the HC1-extractable P to increase along with increasing amounts of organic C and the HCl-extractable trivalent metals in the topsoils of some less-disturbed acid sulfate soils (pH < 4.5). This suggests that inorganic P in these soils probably accumulated via biological cycling and was retained by complexation with trivalent metals or their oxides and hydroxides. While there was no clear correlation between pH and the water-extractable P, the concentration of the water-extractable P tended to increase with increasing amounts of the HCl-extractable P. This disagrees with some established models which suggest that the concentration of solution P in acid soils is independent of total P and decreases with increasing acidity. The high concentration of sulfate present in acid sulfate soils appeared to affect the chemical behavior of Pin these soil systems. Comparison was made between a less disturbed wetland acid sulfate soil and a more intensively disturbed sugarcane acid sulfate soil. The results show that reclamation of wetland acid sulfate soils for sugarcane production caused a significant decrease in the HCl-extractable P in the topsoil layer as a result of the reduced bio-cycling of phosphorus following sugarcane farming. Simulation experiment shows that addition of hydrated lime had no effects on the immobilization of retained P in an acid sulfate soil sample within a pH range 3.54.6. When the pH was raised to above 4.6, soluble P in the soil extracts had a tendency to increase with increasing pH until the 15th extraction (pH 5.13). This, in combination with the poor pH-soluble P relationship observed from the less-disturbed acid sulfate soils, suggests that soluble P was not clearly pH-dependent in acid sulfate soils with pH < 4.5.