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PRESENTED BY AKHTAR MEHMOOD
ROLL # 11041706-010DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY
M.PHIL BOTANY FINAL SEMESTER
Plant nutrient usually exist as ions i.e. They carry an electrostatic charge. The positively charged nutrients are known as Cations
while Negatively charged nutrients are called as Anions. Example. Cations. Ca2+,Mg2+,,K+,Na+, H+,Al3+
Anions: NO3-,H2PO4
-,HPO42-,SO4
2-,Cl-
History From 1920s to 1940s William Albrecht did a lot of
experimenting with different ratios of nutrient cations.
Exchangeable Cations Cations bound to soil in varying degree Strongly bound to silica or Soluble in soil solution.
Between these two extremes are the exchangeable cations, which are weakly bound to soil particles.
Soil particles carry net negative electrostatic charges as a result of processes of soil weathering, and organic decomposition.
These sites of negative charges are most predominant in the humus fraction of the soil, and on the edges of clay particles.
The bonding of these cations largely prevents their loss by leaching, but is not so strong that plants cannot extract them from the soil.
The Cation exchange capacity of a soil is a measurement of its ability to bind or hold exchangeable cations. In other words, it is a measure of the number of negatively-charged binding sites in the soil.
Milli-equivalents (Meq.) of Selected Cations and Their Equivalent ppm
CationAtomic Weight
ValenceMilli-
equivalents
Equivalent
ppm Lbs/acre
H+ 1 1 1 10 20
Ca++ 40 2 20 200 400
Mg++ 24 2 12 120 240
K+ 39 1 39 390 780
NH4+ 18 1 18 180 360
Al+++ 27 3 9 90 180
Zn++ 65 2 32.5 325 650
Mn++ 55 2 27.5 275 550
Fe++ 56 2 28 280 560
Cu++ 64 2 32 320 640
Na+ 23 1 23 230 460
Element Atomic Weight
Valence Ppm to equal 1 milli equivalent
Hydrogen 1 1 20
Potassium 39 1 390
Magnesium 24 2 120
Calcium 20 2 200
To determine the CEC calculate the milliequivalents of H,K,Mg,Ca per 100 gm of Soil(meq/100 g of soil)by using formula:
Formula H,meq/100g soil=8(8.00-buffer pH) K,meq/100g soil = lbs/acre extracted K/782 Mg,meq/100g soil= lbs/acre extracted Mg/240 Ca,meq/100g soil = lbs/acre extracted Ca/400 Na,meq/100g soil = lbs/acre extracted Na/460
Lab #
Sampe l#
Soil code
Soil pH
Buffer pH
P K Mg Ca Na
113 3 4 5.1 7.70 168 221 28 400 12
H,meq/100g soil=8(8.00-7.70)=2.40 K,meq/100g soil = 221/782=0.28 Mg,meq/100g soil= 28/240= 0.12 Ca,meq/100g soil = 400/400=1.00 Na,meq/100g soil = 12/460=0.03 Total CEC=3.83 meq/100g soil
Rating CEC (me/100g) Comment
Low 5-12 Low organic matter. Sandy soil
Medium 12-25 Pumice soil, Lower fertility
High 25-40 High fertility soil, High clay content.
Very High 40+ Peat soils
It refers to Elements that are basic or Alkaline in their reaction.e.g K,Mg, Ca & small amount of Na & Al.
Hydrogen is an element with a positive charge and acts like a cation however soils with significant saturation of hydrogen are acidic, or have a lower pH.
The measure is expressed as milligram equivalents per 100 grams of soil or shortened to “me”.
Example K=0.28meq/100g soil Mg=0.12meq/100g soil Ca=1.00meq/100g soil Na=0.03meq/100g soil CEC=3.83meq/100 g soilTotal for bases=K+Mg+Ca+Na=1.43meq/100g soilPercent Base saturation= (1.43/3.83)(100%)=37%
Exchangeable Cations can be divided into two groups. Bases Acids Every CEC binding site must have a cation bound to it,
to maintain electeroneutrality. The soil pH Will be effected by whichever cations
predominate on these exchange sites. More base cations more alkaline soil More acid Cations more acidic soil
It is the fraction of the negative binding sites occupied by bases.
For example A base saturation level of 75% means that three out of
four sites are occupied by basic cations (remaining 25% by acidic cations).
Total base saturation is determined by following formula
Total base saturation= Ca+Mg+K+Na CEC
CEC also helps to characterise soils.E.g Organic matter is the major source of Negative
electrostatic sites there is a strong correlation between CEC values, and the amount of organic matter in the soil.
CEC can give insight into soil quality and site characteristics.
Higher CEC likely indicates more clay, poor internal drainage, limited structure and soil compactation in high traffic areas.
Low CEC is indicative of sandy textured soils prone to drought that invariably needs more organic matter to improve water holding capacity, but have open grainy structure that resist compaction.
What we have learned Clay and organic matter have negative charges that can
hold and release positively charged nutrients.(The cations are adsorbed onto the surface of the clay of the clay or humus).That static charge keeps the nutrients from being washed away, and holds them so they are available to plant roots and soil microorganisms.
THANKS