On the determination of soil pH

Abstract

In the present paper the routine determination of soil pH in the laboratory was studied using a material of 15 soil samples of various kind and in addition, two larger soil groups, consisting of 80 and 406 samples respectively. In comparing the pH values determined in water and in 0.01 M CaCl2 suspensions, the latter proved to be almost independent of the soil/liquid ratio between 1: 2.5 and 1: 10, that markedly affected the pHH2O values. The change with time from the pH values measured after the first hour showed less variation in CaCl2 suspensions than in water suspensions; the constancy observed in pHCaCl2 values indicating that a relatively short equilibration period of 1—2 hours would be sufficient. To sum up these results, the use of 0.01 M CaCl2 would mean easy and accurate measurements well suited to mass pH determinations. A linear relationship and a highly significant positive correlation was found between pHH2O and pHCaCl2 values in a material of 406 soil samples. The difference between the two values, which largely depends on the soils’ own salt content, ranged from 0 to 1.1 pH units, with the mean difference of 0.49. Therefore, the suggested use of a constant correction factor to bring the pHCaCl2 values to the level of the pH measured in water, is not recommendable. The main advantage of using 0.01 M CaCl2 would be the concealing of differences in salt content of a soil. The use of pHCaCl2 values would also offer new ways for getting more information about a soil’s exchange capacities, as it provides the center point for TERÄSVUORI’s (13) soil curve.