Retention of sulphate by an acid brown earth and its relationship with the atmospheric input of sulphur to forest vegetation

In soil samples of an acid brown earth the sulphate retention was studied as a function of sulphate concentration and pH of the soil solution. The soil under two forest covers (spruce and beech), has. shown distinct variation in its sulphate retention characteristics. The soil under spruce, due to the greater filtering action of vegetation, receives higher inputs of sulphate und hydrogen ions and shows higher amounts of retained sulphate. The uppermost 10 cm soil samples from both sites do not retain any sulphate when its concentration in the solution phase is increased. In samples from greater depths, the retention of sulphate is accompanied by a change in pH of the soil solution. The maximum retention occurs at pH 4, and soil samples from under beech retain higher amounts of sulphate than those under spruce for a corresponding depth and similar conditions of H⁺ addition. Desorption of newly retained sulphate followed in some samples the concentration relationship found in the adsorption experiment without any hysteresis, but the desorption of initially present sulphate indicates that two different forms of sulphate, weakly-and tightly-bound, may be existing in these soils.