Journal
COMMUNICATIONS IN SOIL SCIENCE AND PLANT ANALYSIS
Volume 39, Issue 11-12, Pages 1848-1857Publisher
TAYLOR & FRANCIS INC
DOI: 10.1080/00103620802073834
Keywords
lime requirement; Mehlich buffer; SMP buffer
Categories
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The Shoemaker-McLean-Pratt (SMP) buffer test is commonly used in Pennsylvania and throughout the United States to determine the lime requirement (LR) of acid soils. The buffer contains potassium chromate, a carcinogen, and all waste must be collected for disposal in a hazardous waste facility. An alternative to the SNIP buffer is the Mehlich buffer. Although the Mehlich buffer contains barium chloride (BaCl2), also a hazardous and regulated compound, calcium chloride (CaCl2) has been shown to be an effective substitute. The goal of this study was to compare the SNIP buffer and the modified Mehlich buffer (CaCl2 substituted for BaCl2) for estimating LR on PA soils and to determine if the modified Mehlich buffer could provide an effective alternative to the SNIP test. Twenty-two agriculturally important Pennsylvania soils with pH values ranging from 4.5 to 6.4 were collected, and the actual LR of each soil was determined by incubating soils for 3 months with calcium carbonate. The modified Mehlich buffer was a more accurate predictor of the lime required to raise soils to either pH 6.5 (r(2) = 0.92) or 7.0 (r(2) = 0.87) in comparison to the SNIP buffer (r(2) = 0.87 and 0.82, respectively). Comparison of calibration equations for Mehlich buffer versus lime requirement derived in this study were similar to those developed on soils from other states and geographic regions.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available