Agri 51: Principles of Soil Science

Exercise 7
Soil pH

Exercise 8
Soil Testing

Division of Soil Science, ASI-CAFS, UPLB

 Learning Objectives
At the end of this exercise, the students should be able to:
1) How to determine soil pH by using the pH meter and indicator dyes.
2) Explain the relationship between soil pH and the amount of available
nutrients such as calcium and iron and be able to demonstrate this by
simple tests.
3) Identify common liming materials that can be used to raise soil pH.
4) Determine the amount of lime needed to raise the pH of an acid soil to
a certain level.
 Soil pH definition
• Soil pH is a measure of acidity or alkalinity of the soil.
• a measure of the hydrogen (H+) ion concentration of the soil:

𝒑𝑯 = − 𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝑯+

• [H3O+] or [H+] is expressed in Molarity (moles/L or M)

• The pH ranges from 0 to 14.
• pH < 7 is acidic; pH > 7 is alkaline; pH = 7 is neutral
Significance of Soil pH
• Soil pH is compared to the temperature of a patient during
medical diagnoses because it readily gives a hint of the soil
condition and the expected direction of many soil processes.

(Emeritus Prof. Eric Van Ranst, Ghent University).

Significance of Soil pH
• Soil pH is the single most important chemical property of the soil.
• Soil pH is a “master variable”
✓ it governs many soil processes.
✓ affects plant nutrient availability by controlling the chemical
forms of the different nutrients and influencing the chemical
reactions they undergo:

Fe2+ Fe3+
at low pH at high pH
(available to plants) (unavailable to plants)
Significance of Soil pH
➢Microbial activity as affected by pH:
✓ Fungi: unaffected
✓ Bacteria (Agrobacterium, Arthrobacter, Bacillus, Nitrosomonas,
Nitrobacter, Pseudomonas, Rhizobium, Thiobacillus); and
Actinomycetes: inhibited at pH 5.0
Significance of soil pH
• Soil pH affects the mobility of many pollutants in soil by
influencing the rate of their biochemical breakdown, their
solubility, and their adsorption to colloids.

• Soil pH can predict the likelihood that a given pollutant will

contaminate groundwater, surface water, and food chains.
(Brady & Weil, 2002)

QEYbañez, rev. Jun. 2021

Effects of Soil pH on Nutrient Availability
• Soil pH determines nutrient sufficiency, deficiency, toxicity, and
potential need for liming or addition of sulfur

• The pH range of most of Philippine soils is approximately

between 4.0 and 7.8.

• pH near 4.0 and 8.0 is not suitable for crop production

Effects of Soil pH on Nutrient Availability

• The most favorable soil pH for most agricultural

crops is between 6.0 and 7.2.

• Optimum = about 6.5

• The acidity and alkalinity of soils begins to be a

problem for growing crops when it reaches:

➢ 5.0 and lower

➢ 8.0 and higher

Essential Elements for Crop Growth
There are 18 elements essential for the normal life cycle of crops:

• Macronutrients are needed by plants in relatively large

amounts to complete their life cycle (reported in %):

❖ C, H, O, P, K, N, S, Ca, Fe, Mg

❖ “See Hopkins Café, Mighty good!”

Essential Elements for Crop Growth
• Micronutrients are needed by plants in relatively smaller
amounts to complete their life cycle:

❖ Fe, Mn, B, Mo, Cu, Zn, Cl, Co

• reported in parts per million (ppm) or mg per kg of soil

Essential Elements for Crop Growth
• The bioavailable forms of all the soil nutrients are ionic:

❖ Anionic (-) HPO42-, H2PO4-, PO43-, SO42-, Cl-, MoO4-

❖ Cationic (+) K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe2+, Zn2+, Cu2+, Mn2+, Ni2+, Al3+

❖ Both (+/-) NH4+ and NO3-

Nitrogen Availability
• Plants take up N as either NH4+ and NO3-

• At neutral pH (pH 7), nitrification is rapid, NO3- is taken up by plants:

Nitrogen Availability
• Soil pH affects losses of N via volatilization:

+
𝑵𝑯𝟑 𝒈𝒂𝒔 ⇌ 𝑵𝑯𝟒(𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒊𝒄)
@high pH @low pH

• This implies that a fertilizer like urea is generally subject to higher

losses at higher pH (pH 8).
Phosphorus Availability
• The form and availability of soil P is also highly pH dependent:

• Forms of Available P: HPO42-, H2PO4-, PO43-

✓ forms insoluble compounds with Fe, Al and Ca in the soil,

depending on pH

✓ At low pH: Fe-P, Al-P

✓ At high pH: Ca-P

Potassium Availability
• Form of Available K: K+

✓ Fixation of K is lower under acid conditions

✓ Liming increases K availability

Relationship between pH and the availability of plant nutrients. The wide portions of the bands
indicate the zone for the most readily available nutrients.
Effects of Soil pH on Nutrient Availability
• The pH specifically affects nutrient bioavailability by controlling the
chemical forms of nutrients.

• At low pH, (pH < 5.0) many of the essential nutrients like Ca, Mg, K,
P, Mo, N and S become less available to plants

✓ Al, Fe and Mn become more soluble = toxic to plants.

Measuring soil pH
A pH value infers a lot of info regarding chemical and biological
properties of soil.

1) Potentiometric – uses pH meter; accurate

2) Colorimetric – uses organic dyes; qualitative; Soil Test Kit
Potentiometric Method
• Most accurate method, uses pH meter
• Soil: water (1 g: 1 mL) suspension
Colorimetric Method
• Relies on organic dyes such as Chlorphenol Red (CPR),
Bromcresol Green (BCG), and Bromthymol Blue (BTB)

Table 1. Organic dyes used as indicators for colorimetric determination of soil pH.

Indicator pH range Best pH determined and color

(BCG) Bromcresol green 3.8-5.4 4.6 – green

(CPR) Chlorphenol red 4.8-6.4 5.6 – orange

(BTB) Bromthymol blue 6.0-7.6 6.9 – green
(PR) Phenol red 7.0-8.0 7.3 – red
Colorimetric Method
• Rapid, simple, but not as accurate as using a pH meter
• UPLB Soil Test Kit – diagnostic tool used to test for pH, N, P and K
in soil samples
Colorimetric Method
Colorimetric Method
• Color chart used in UPLB Soil Test Kit
Colorimetric Method Use of spot plate

pH is 4.8 - 5.0 based on BCG

Colorimetric Method

pH is 5.8 - 6.0 based on CPR

Colorimetric Method

pH is 6.2 - 6.4 based on BTB

Factors affecting soil pH
• Soil forming factors: Climate, organisms, relief or topography, parent
material, and time

• Leaching of basic cations: Ca, Mg, K, and Na, leaving H+ and Al3+
ions as dominant exchangeable cations.

• Organic matter decomposition:

✓ OM + O2 → CO2 + H2O + energy + inorganic nutrients

✓ CO2 + H2O → H2CO3 (carbonic acid) imparts acidity to the soil

Factors affecting soil pH
Temperature & rainfall control leaching intensity (of basic cations)

• ↑ rainfall = ↑ leaching of basic cations = ↑ acidity

• In tropical countries, soil pH decreases over time in a process called

acidification

• In dry climates, soil weathering and leaching are less intense and pH
can be alkaline
Factors affecting soil pH
Soil texture and OM content:

• A soil with high clay and OM content has a higher buffering capacity,
or it has a greater ability to resist a drop or rise in pH as compared to
sandy soils.

• Clay soils require more lime to increase pH than sandy soils.

• Sandy soils have low OM, high water percolation, and are more
vulnerable to acidification.
Factors affecting soil pH
Land use and management:

• Forestland areas tend to be more acidic than areas of grassland.

• Continuous cycles of cropping, erosion of surface layer, can result to

acidification.

• Addition of nitrogen and sulfur fertilizers can lower soil pH over time.
Factors affecting soil pH
 Suitability of crops as influenced by soil pH
➢ Soil and crop productivities are linked to soil pH value

➢ A pH range of 6.0 to 7.0 seems to promote the most availability of

plant nutrients

➢Some crops are tolerant to acidic pH such as coffee and tomato, and
there are other crops that thrive at high pH conditions such as okra,
avocado and cucumber.
 Suitability of crops as influenced by soil pH
Table 2. Soil pH preferences of some agricultural crops.
Common name pH preference
Common name pH preference
23. Muskmelon 6.0-6.7
1. Abaca 6.0-7.0
24. Okra 5.8-8.0
2. Alfalfa 6.5-7.2
25. Onion 5.8-6.5
3. Ampalaya 6.0-6.7
26. Papaya 5.8-7.0
4. Avocado 6.0-8.0
27. Peanuts 6.0-6.5
5. Banana 6.0-7.5
28. Pepper (Sweet) 5.8-6.8
6. Beans (snap, lima, string) 5.5-6.5
29. Pineapple 5.0-6.5
7. Cabbage 6.0-7.5
8. Cacao 6.0-7.0 30. Potato (Irish) 4.8-6.5
9. Camote (Sweet potato) 5.0-7.0 31. Radish 5.2-6.7
32. Rambutan 5.5-6.5
10. Coffee 4.5-7.0
11. Corn 6.0-8.0 33. Ramie 5.5-6.5
12. Cotton 5.5-6.5 34. Rice(paddy) 6.0-6.5
13. Cowpea 5.0-6.5 35. Rice(upland) 5.0-6.5
14. Cucumber 6.0-8.0 36. Rubber 5.8-8.0
15. Eggplant 5.5-6.7 37. Squash 6.0-6.7
16. Garlic 5.4-6.8 38. Sorghum 6.0-7.5
17. Ginger 5.5-6.5 39. Soybean 6.0-7.0
18. Grapes 6.0-7.0 40. Sugarcane 6.0-8.0
19. Lanzones 5.5-6.5 41. Tobacco 5.5-7.0
20. Lettuce 5.5-7.0 42. Tomato 4.5-6.5
21. Mango 5.5-7.5 43. Watermelon 6.0-7.0
22. Mungo 5.5-6.5 44. Wheat 6.0-7.0
 Influence of Soil pH on Mobility of Pollutants

➢Soil pH affects the mobility of many pollutants in soil by influencing the

rate of their biochemical breakdown, their solubility, and their
adsorption to colloids.

➢ Thus, soil pH is a critical factor in predicting the likelihood that a given

pollutant will contaminate groundwater, surface water, and food chains.
 Amelioration of Soil Acidity by Liming
➢Soil acidity - result of heavy cropping (removal of basic cations) and
use of acidifying fertilizers
• can be corrected by the addition of agricultural lime

Source: Kilmer, V. 1. (ed.) Handbook of Soils and Climate in agriculture, CRC Press
 Amelioration of Soil Acidity by Liming

➢Buffering Capacity
• the ability of the soil to resist sudden or drastic changes in pH
Buffering capacity is high if:
- CEC is high
- Clay content is high
- OM content is high

Source: Kilmer, V. 1. (ed.) Handbook of Soils and Climate in agriculture, CRC Press
Amelioration of Soil Acidity by Liming
Table 3. Common liming materials.
Calcium Carbonate Equivalent
Commercial Name Chemical Composition (CCE) or Relative Neutralizing Value
(RNV)
Burned lime / quick lime CaO 179
Hydrated lime Ca(OH)2 136
Dolomitic limestone CaMg(CO3)2 109
Calcic limestone CaCO3 100

❖ Lime requirement - amount of liming material needed to raise the pH of one

hectare soil up to a desired level under field conditions

Source: Kilmer, V. 1. (ed.) Handbook of Soils and Climate in agriculture, CRC Press
 Factors affecting effectivity of lime

➢ Soil pH: ↓ pH = ↑ lime requirement

➢ Texture: clayey soils have higher lime requirement
➢ Form or kind of lime:
order of reactivity: CaO > Ca(OH)2 > CaMg(CO3)2 > CaCO3

➢ Fineness of liming material: finely ground lime is more effective

➢ Crops or plants to be grown
 Amelioration of Soil Acidity by Liming
➢ Increasing soil pH by application of lime can relieve many soil fertility problems
such as unavailability and/or toxicity of many nutrient elements.

➢ The addition of lime not only replaces hydrogen ions and raises soil pH, but it
also provides two nutrients, calcium and magnesium to the soil.

➢ Lime makes P more available for plant growth and increases availability of
nitrogen by hastening the decomposition of O.M.

➢ Liming materials are relatively inexpensive, comparatively mild to handle and

leave no objectionable residues in the soil.
 Amelioration of Soil Acidity by Liming

➢Biological effects – promotes activity of microorganisms

such as those that decompose OM, mineralize nutrients and

fix nitrogen
How to apply agricultural lime

➢ Frequency: Lime should be spread about 6-12 months ahead of

the crop
➢ Depth: usually the upper 15-20 cm
➢ Overliming: excess lime may cause deficiencies of Fe, Mn, Cu,
and Zn; reduced availability of phosphate and B; common in
sandy soils
➢ Lime should be added conservatively to sandy soils.
How to apply agricultural lime
 Summary and Conclusion

➢Soil pH does play a significant role in nutrient availability.

➢Soil pH is an important indicator of soil fertility as it affects crop

yields, crop suitability, and soil micro-organism activity which
influences key soil processes.

➢The pH factor should always be considered when planning for

nutrient management programs.
 Summary and Conclusion
➢Historical records of soil pH of a farm should be kept. Soils tend to
acidify over time, particularly when large applications of NH4+ based
fertilizers are used or there is a high proportion of legumes in the
rotation.

➢One should not rely on soil pH alone as an indicator of soil fertility.

Soil is a dynamic system and thus other factors should also be
considered when planning for nutrient management in agricultural
farms.
Summary and Conclusion

Should you be concerned on your farm?

You should not just be concerned but

be more aware.