Studies on soil phosphorus. I. A method for the partial fractionation of soil phosphorus

Abstract

Ghani's method for the partial fractionation of soil phosphorus has been simplified. From results obtained with soils and representative phosphatic minerals it has been shown that successive single extractions with 2·5% acetic acid-l% 8-hydroxyquinoline and 0·1 N-sodium hydroxide gives a good fractionation of the phosphate compounds present.The relative effects of cupferron and 8-hydroxyquinoline as reagents for blocking the adsorption of phosphate were also investigated. Cupferron precipitated aluminium more completely than did 8-hydroxyquinoline at the pH used for the extraction. However, because of its instability and also because of indications that it may attack organic forms of phosphorus cupferron was considered to be of less value than 8-hydroxyquinoline in the fractionation of soil phosphorus.The recovery of phosphate added to soil, the reaction of which had been varied by the use of sulphur or calcium carbonate, was almost complete at all reactions used (pH 4·5–8·2) for amounts of phosphate up to the equivalent of 500 parts of PO₄ per million parts of soil. The distribution of this added phosphate between the acid and alkali soluble fraction showed that in acid soils the phosphate tended to be fixed mainly by adsorption or as a basic ferric and aluminium phosphates, while at an alkaline reaction most of the fixation was due to precipitation by calcium.