Premium
Temperature Affects Solution‐Phase Nutrient Concentrations and Subsequent Calculations of Supply Parameters
Author(s) -
Kelly J. M.
Publication year - 1993
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/sssaj1993.03615995005700020038x
Subject(s) - nutrient , soil water , chemistry , loam , diffusion , environmental chemistry , phase (matter) , soil science , environmental science , thermodynamics , organic chemistry , physics
Representation of the concentration of nutrient present in the solution phase ( C li ) is an important consideration if nutrient uptake is to be adequately modeled. Solutions displaced at normal laboratory temperature (≈ 24 °C) may not be representative of in situ solutions from forest soils. The purpose of this study was to determine if temperature significantly influences C li estimates from organic‐rich horizons since nutrient availability in these soils is largely microbiologically mediated and thus responsive to temperature. Equilibrium solutions were displaced from Oa and A horizons of a Balsam soil (loamy‐skeletal, mixed, frigid Typic Haplumbrept) kept at one of three temperatures (24, 14, or 4 °C). Estimates of C li were significantly ( P ≤ 0.05 or 0.01) affected by temperature, and thus treatment often resulted in orders of magnitude differences in C li values. For example, significantly greater concentrations of NH 4 ‐N and P were observed at 24 °C, while NO 3 ‐N concentrations were highest at 4 °C. The base cations Ca, Mg, and Na exhibited a response similar to that of NO 3 ‐N. Differences in C li values as a function of temperature are especially important because the C li value is also used in calculations that define buffer power ( b ) and effective diffusion coefficient ( D c ).