Determination of exchangeable potassium in soil using ion‐selective electrodes in soil suspensions

Abstract

Summary Methods of determining exchangeable K+ of soil by mixing extracting solutions and analysing the soil suspension with ion‐selective electrodes were developed and evaluated on 30 samples of soils. From preliminary comparisons of the K+ extracted by BaCl2 and NH4OAc solutions and by batch and leaching treatments of soils, we established that suspensions of 5 g soil in 100 ml 0.5 m BaCl2 and single batch treatments of 1 h should be used. The exchangeable K+ was determined with a K‐selective, valinomycin‐based PVC membrane electrode and electrochemical cells that did or did not include a liquid junction (the reference electrode being a double‐junction reference electrode assembly with a 10 m LiOAc salt bridge solution or a Cl‐selective electrode, respectively). The Ba‐exchangeable K+ values were sensibly the same whether a liquid junction was involved or not, a result that can be attributed to the beneficial effects of the salt bridge and the ionic strength of the extractant. Comparisons of these Ba‐exchangeable results with those obtained by various combinations of batch or leaching treatments, BaCl2 or NH4OAc extractants and filtrate analysis by the ion‐selective electrode method or atomic absorption spectrometry showed they were all highly correlated (r≥ 0.996). The selectivity of the K+‐selective electrode (kpotKNH4 = 0.004) significantly reduced the interference from indigenous soil NH4+ in the BaCl2 suspensions. Overall, the results show potentiometric measurements of K+ in soil suspensions can provide a simple, rapid, and reliable means of determining exchangeable K+ in soils.