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Potassium and Magnesium Recovery from Selected Soils of the Allegheny Plateau
Author(s) -
Stout W. L.
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1982.03615995004600050027x
Subject(s) - vermiculite , soil water , ammonium acetate , potassium , chemistry , clay minerals , magnesium , plateau (mathematics) , soil series , soil fertility , environmental chemistry , ammonium , mineralogy , soil classification , geology , soil science , paleontology , mathematical analysis , high performance liquid chromatography , mathematics , organic chemistry , chromatography
Many soils of marginal land areas in the northeastern United States have been depleted in K and Mg by either poor soil fertility management or erosion. These soils also contain clay minerals such as mica and vermiculite that are prone to fix K and Mg. The combination of depleted levels of K and Mg and clay minerals may have an adverse effect on the recovery of K and Mg applied to these soils. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of clay minerals on the recovery of K and Mg applied to A and B horizons of seven Appalachian soils. The recovery of K and Mg applied to the A and B horizons of seven soil series common to the Allegheny Plateau region of western Pennsylvania and northern West Virginia was determined using 1 N ammonium acetate, double acid (0.05 N HCl in 0.025 N H 2 SO 4 ), and oat seedlings. Potassium recovery by all methods ranged from approximately 60% of applied K in soils containing small amounts of mica and/or vermiculite to approximately 15% in soils containing moderate amounts of these clays. Almost all of the applied Mg was recovered by the soil testing methods, while the oat seedlings were only able to recover about 4% of the applied Mg. Recovery of Mg was not directly affected by clay type. The ammonium acetate method was able to predict the recovery of K by the oat seedlings better than the double‐acid method. Magnesium recovery by the oat seedlings was predicted equally well by both soil testing procedures.