The extractable trace element content of acid soils and the influence of pH, organic matter and clay content

Abstract

Abstract The analysis of extractable trace elements was carried out on 434 soils using 0.1 N HC1 as the extractant for copper, manganese, iron, zinc and cobalt, 0.2 M ammonium oxalate at pH 3.0 for molybdenum and boiling water for boron. Results indicated that on the average from about 1 to 20 percent of the total element content of the soil uas extractable, the percentage varying with the element. Comparing the amount of extractable elements in the 0–15 cm and 15–30 cm layers indicated that only manganese, zinc and boron were significantly different. Correlation studies showed that the pH significantly influenced the quantity of manganese, iron, zinc and boron extracted, while organic matter influenced copper, manganese, zinc, cobalt and boron and clay content the copper, manganese, iron, zinc, cobalt and boron.