Comparison of mehlich 3, mehlich 1, ammonium bicarbonate‐DTPA, 1.0M ammonium acetate, and 0.2M ammonium chloride for extraction of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and potassium for a wide range of soils

Abstract

Abstract Extractants employed for routine soil analysis vary from one laboratory to another. Lack of a universal soil extractant is a serious limitation for interpretation of analytical results from various laboratories on nutritional status of a given soil. This limitation can be overcome by developing functional relationships for concentrations of a given nutrient extractable by various extradants. In this study, extractability of Ca, Mg, P, and K in a wide range of soils (0–15 cm) from citrus groves in Florida representing 21 soil series, with varying cultural operations, were compared using Mehlich 3 (M3), Mehlich 1 (M1), ammonium acetate (NH4AOc), pH = 7.0 (AA), 0.2M ammonium chloride (NH4Cl), and ammonium bicarbonate‐DTPA (AB‐DTPA) extractants. Soil pH (0.01M CaCl2) varied from 3.57 to 7.28. The concentrations of Ca or Mg extractable by M3, M1, AA, and NH4Cl were strongly correlated with soil pH (r2 = 0.381–0.482). Weak but significant correlations were also found between AB‐DTPA extractable Ca or Mg and soil pH (r2 = 0.235–0.278). Soil pH relationships with extractable K were rather weak (r2 = < 0.131) for M1 and NH4Cl but non‐significant for M3, AB‐DTPA, and AA. Concentrations of Ca, Mg, and K extractable by M3 were significantly correlated with those by either M1, AA, or NH4Cl extractants. Mehlich 3‐P was significantly correlated with P extractable by M1 extractant only. Mehlich 3 versus AB‐DTPA relationship was strong for K (r2 = 0.964), weaker for Mg and P (r2 = 0.180–0.319), and non‐significant for Ca. With the increasing emphasis on possible use of M3 as an universal soil extractant, data from this study support the hypothesis that M3 can be adapted as a suitable extractant for routine soil analysis.