Register      Login
Soil Research Soil Research Society
Soil, land care and environmental research
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > SR > SR04102
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 43(4)

Methods of pH determination in calcareous soils: use of electrolytes and suspension effect

A. Al-Busaidi A B , P. Cookson B and T. Yamamoto A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori 680-0001, Japan.

B Department of Soil and Water Sciences, College of Agricultural and Marine Science, Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), PO Box 34 Al-Khod 123, Oman.

Australian Journal of Soil Research 43(4) 541-545 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR04102
Submitted: 29 June 2004  Accepted: 1 March 2005   Published: 30 June 2005

Abstract

Determination of pH assists in understanding many reactions that occur in soil. However, measured values of soil pH can be affected by the procedure used for determination and by a range of soil properties. In this study, pH was measured in different electrolytes [distilled water (pHw), 0.01 m CaCl2 (pHca), 1 m KCl (pHk), and 0.01 m BaCl2 (pHba)] with different soil : solution ratios (i.e. 1 : 1, 1 : 2.5, 1 : 5), the main objective being to study the influence of different electrolytes on the suspension effect of pH in calcareous soils.

Soil pH measured in water showed significant differences between different dilution ratios and was highly influenced by the ‘suspension effect’. Other electrolytes (CaCl2, KCl, BaCl2) were little affected by the suspension effect, giving approximately stable values when pH was measured with and without stirring. High soil salinity appeared to suppress any suspension effect in a manner similar to electrolytes when added to non-saline soils.

Additional keyword: calcium carbonate, salinity, dilution.


References


Aitken RL, Moody PW, Mckinley PG (1990) Lime requirement of acidic Queenland. 1.Relationship between soil properties and pH buffer capacity. Australian Journal of Soil Research 28, 695–701.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Clark JS (1964) An examination of the pH of calcareous soils. Soil Science 98, 145–151. open url image1

Conyers MK, Davey BG (1988) Observations on some routine methods for soil pH determination. Soil Science 145, 29–36. open url image1

Foth, HD ,  and  Ellis, BG (1988). ‘Soil fertility, soil pH and its management.’ pp. 36–59. (Wiley: New York)

Gascho GJ, Parker MB, Gaines TP (1996) Re-evaluation of suspension solutions for soil pH. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 27, 773–782. open url image1

McLean EO (1982) Soil pH and lime requirement. ‘Methods of soil analysis’. pp. 199–224. (American Society of Agronomy, Inc.: Madison, WI)

Moore TJ, Loeppert RH (1987) Significance of potassium chloride pH of calcareous soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal 51, 908–912. open url image1

Statistical Analysis System (1985). ‘User’s guide.’ Version 5 (SAS Institute Inc.: Cary, NC)

Schofield RK, Taylor AM (1955) The measurement of soil pH. Soil Science Society of American Procedure 19, 164–167. open url image1

Sumner ME (1994) Measurement of soil pH: Problems and Solutions. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 25, 859–879. open url image1

Tan, HK (1995). ‘Soil sampling, preparation, and analysis. Soil pH measurement.’ pp. 96–113. (Marcel Dekker: New York)

Yu TR, Ji GL (1993) Electrochemical methods in soil and water research. ‘Glass electrodes and their applications’. pp. 147–182. (Pergamon Press: Oxford)