C. Alewell et E. Matzner, WATER, NAHCO3-EXTRACTABLE, NAH2PO4-EXTRACTABLE AND NACL-EXTRACTABLE SO42- IN ACID FORESTS SOILS, Zeitschrift fur Pflanzenernahrung und Bodenkunde, 159(3), 1996, pp. 235-240
A variety of different methods have been used for the determination of
inorganic soil SO42- in the past, which makes it difficult to compare
SO42- contents of soils. Sulfate was extracted with the four commonly
used extraction solutions 0.5 M NaHCO3, 0.02 M NaH2PO4, 0.1 M NaCl an
d H2O from A-, Bw- and Bs-horizons of six acid forest soils. 5 g of fi
eld moist soil were percolated with a flow rate of 5 ml/h and percolat
ions were repeated as long as SO42- was detectable in the percolate (>
0.5 mg SO4 . l-1). NaCl and NaHCO3 extracted highest amounts of total
inorganic SO42- in A-horizons, but NaHCO3 caused analytical problems.
NaHCO3 and NaH2PO4 yielded highest amounts in B-horizons. With the ex
ception of Bs-horizons more than 70% of the total inorganic SO42- was
H2O-soluble. Thus, if H2O-soluble SO42- is defined as reversibly bound
, the greater part of the inorganic SO42- fraction can potentially be
released, if SO42- deposition decreases.