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SST3005 Fundamentals of Soil Science

The document discusses cation exchange capacity (CEC) in soils. It explains that CEC is the total number of cation exchange sites found in soil and is measured in centimoles per kilogram. Soils with high clay and organic matter contents have higher CEC values as these components contribute more negatively charged sites for cations to bond to. The document outlines factors influencing CEC, such as soil texture and composition, and describes how CEC impacts soil fertility and nutrient retention.

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51 views

SST3005 Fundamentals of Soil Science

The document discusses cation exchange capacity (CEC) in soils. It explains that CEC is the total number of cation exchange sites found in soil and is measured in centimoles per kilogram. Soils with high clay and organic matter contents have higher CEC values as these components contribute more negatively charged sites for cations to bond to. The document outlines factors influencing CEC, such as soil texture and composition, and describes how CEC impacts soil fertility and nutrient retention.

Uploaded by

Sleeping Beauty
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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SST3005

Fundamentals of Soil
Science
Adibah Mohd. Amin, Ph.D
Department of Land Management
Faculty of Agriculture
[email protected]
Lecture 10

Soil Cation Exchange Capacity


Soil Cation Exchange Capacity
• In most soils, 99% of soil cations can be found
attached to micelles (clay particles and organic
matter) and 1% can be found in solution.
• Cations in the soil (mainly Ca , Mg2+, K+ and Na+)
2+

maintain an equilibrium between adsorption to the


negative sites and solution in the soil water.
• This equilibrium produces exchanges -- when one
cation detaches from a site (leaving it free), another
cation attaches to it.
• Therefore the negatively charged sites are called
cation exchange sites.
• The total number of sites is the Cation Exchange
Capacity or CEC
Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 3
Soil Cation Exchange
• Cation Exchange - the
ability of the soil to hold
onto nutrients and
prevent them from
leaching beyond the
roots.

• Cations are “+ “charged


ions = Ca++, Mg++, K+,
NH4+,

• The more cation


exchange a soil has the
more likely the soil will
have a higher fertility
level.
4
Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005)
Cation Exchange Capacity

1) the number of cation adsorption sites per unit


weight of soil or
2) the sum total of exchangeable cations that a
soil can adsorb.
* CEC is expressed in centimole (cmolc) per kg of
oven dry soil.
One mole of charge is the charge (positive or negative) of
one mole of an ion with either a +1 or a -1 charge.

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 5


Cation
Cation Exchange
Exchange
• The interchange between a cation in solution and
another cation on the surface of any negatively
charged material such as clay or organic
matter

H+
+ Ca++
Ca++ +2H+ H+
soil soil solution soil colloid soil solution
colloid
6

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005)


Cation exchange influenced by:

1) Strength of adsorption:
Al+3 > Ca2+ > Mg2+ > K+ =NH4+ > Na+ >H+

held tight ------------------> easily replaced


2) the relative concentration of the cations
in the Soil Solution

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 7


Mole of charge (molc)

An ion such as Ca2+ has 2 moles of charge


for each mole of calcium atom because it
has two positive charges.
One mole of charge of any ion will always be
equivalent to 1 mole of charge of any other
ion
Element Na+ K+ Ca++ Mg++
Mole charge 1 1 2 2
wt/molc 23/1=23 39/1=39 40/2=20 24/2 = 12
Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 8
Predicting CEC

1) sum of cations : remove all cations and total the


amount
2) NH4+ saturation: soil is saturated with NH4+ -
the NH4+ is replaced by Ca++ and the NH4+ removed
is measured.
3) Estimation based on texture:
Sand = 0-3 cmolc/kg LS to SL = 3-10
Loam = 10 - 15 Clay Loam = 10-30
Clay = > 30 (depends on kind of clay)

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 9


Calculation of CEC with % clay and % OM

Assume Avg CEC for % OM = 200 cmolc/kg


Assume Avg CEC for % clay = 50 cmolc/kg

CEC = (% OM x 200) + (% Clay x 50)


From soil data: soil with 2% OM and 10% Clay
(200 x .02) + (50 x .1) = 4 + 5 = 9 cmolc/kg

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 10


• A high CEC value (>25) is a
good indicator that a soil
has a high clay and/organic
matter content and can
hold a lot of cations.
• Soil with a low CEC value
(<5) is a good indication
that a soil is sandy with
little or no organic matter
that cannot hold many
cations.
Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 11
Base Saturation vs pH
% Base Saturation =bases/CEC x 100
% Hydrogen Saturation = H+/CEC x100
Example: Ap Soil Horizon
Cations-- H+ Ca++ Mg++ K+ Na+
9.4 14 3 0.5 0.1
CEC = 27 cmolc/kg (sum of cations)
% base sat = 17.6/27 x 100 = 65%
% hydrogen sat = 9.4/27 x100 = 35%
Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 12
pH vs. Base Saturation

Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 13


Buffering Capacity

The ability of soil to resist change in pH.


The amount of H in the soil solution is small +

compared with the “H+, Al 3+” adsorbed on the


soil colloids (reserve)
Neutralization+ (by the addition of bases) of
the solution H (ie H+ is removed from the
system) results in a rapid replacement of H+
from the exchangeable H+ on the soil colloid.
 CaCO3 when added to soil will neutralize H+.
CaCO 3 = Lime (dolomitic = MgCO3 & CaCO3)
Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 14
Lime needs and Soil Texture
% OM CEC
Sands 2.5 5
7
sandy loams 3 12
Soil
pH 6
loams 4 18

4
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 15
Why apply lime ?
1. helps nutrients become
available to plants (solubility vs.
pH)
2. improves soil structure
3. provides nutrients for plant
growth
4. promotes growth of
beneficial microorganisms
5. overcomes acidifying effects
of fertilizers
6. reduces metal toxicity to
plants (solubility vs. pH)
Fundamentals of Soil Science (SST3005) 16

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