511

NOTES

CONVERSION OF ORGANIC SOIL pH VALUES MEASURED

IN WATER, 0.01M CaCl2 or llg KCI

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Regression equations rverc clerived fbr converting pH values oforganic soils determincd

by five procedures. Data werc obtained by rneasuring the pH of 30 soils using the
following volumetric ratios and solutions: l:1. soil to \\'ater: l:2 and l:zl. soil to 0 0lM
CaClz: and l:2 and l:4 soil to lN KCl. Average pH value s measurcd in 0.01M CaC)l and
lN KCI were 0.44 and 0.70 pH units lower than thosc measurcd in watcr (pH 5.21).
Converting data by mercly adding or subtracting the average differcnce betwecn
methods was not as accurate as using appropriate regrcssion cquations. These equations
rcnces bctween soil pH valucs measured
are provided in thc text and indicated that
by different procedures increascd as soil pH increased. Similar pH values wcrc found
with the l:2 and l:4 soil to 0. lMCaCllsolution ratios. though a small dilution effect was
observed when lN KCI was used at thcsc ratios.

dil

Des dquations de rigression furent d6riv6es pour convertir lc pH des sols organiqucs
mesurds par cinq mdthodes diff6rcntcs. Pour ce faire, les pH de 30 sols 6taient
d6terminds cn utilisant les rapports volum6triques et les solutions suivantes: l: I sol-eau:
l:2 et l:4 sol-CaClz 0.01M; et I :2 ct I :4 sol-KCl lN. Les moycnnes des pH mesuris par
ces m6thodes indiquent quc la valeur est abaisse en moycnne de 0.,14 unit6 dans le
CaCl2 0.01M et de 0.70 unit6 dans lc KCI lN comparativemcnt ii la moyenne obtcnuc
dans I'eau (pH 5.21). Toutefbis. en additionnant ou soustrayant la difl'6rence moyenne
cntre lcs mithodes, la convcrsion des donndcs s'est aviri morns exactc que I'emploi
d'une iquation de rigression appropride. Ces 6quations ddmontrcnt que les diff6renccs
cntrc lcs valeurs de pH obtenues par les diff'6rentes mdthodes augmentcnt ir mesure que
le pH du sol s'ildve. Des valcurs semblables ont 6td obtcnucs aux rapports l:2 ct l:4 en
solution CaCl2 0.0lM, mais il y avait un l6ger cffct de dilution cn employant le KCI lN
duns ces mdmes proportitrns.

Critica,l soil acidity levels related to optimal

crop yields in organic soils have usually been
reported as measurements made with water,
O.0lM CaCl2 or 1// KCI as the suspending
media. ln spite of any possible advantage in
using either of these electrolytes. the lou'er

adding the average difl'erence in pH betrveen

values obtained plus the fact that

were found by van Lierop and Mackenzie

recom-

mended pH levels for crops are usually expressed as pH (HzO) produce sorne uncertainties when interpreting values obtained by
those methods. This problem can best be resolved by convefting the pH values obtained
by an unfamiliar method to a corresponding
value that would have been obtained if a bet-

ter known method had been used. An

approximate conversion can be obtained by

methods. This approach is quite commonly

used and has been suggested for adjusting the
pH of mineral soils measured in 0.01M CaC12
instead of water (Peech 1965; Davies 197 1).
Average diminutions of 0.55 and 0.7 pH unit
(1911) whenusing 0.01M CaCl2 and lNKCl,
respectively, insteadof water. However, they
tbund with the 20 soils used in their study that
soil pH decreased rarely by these exact
amounts. This observation was confirmed by

a significant connection between soiis

and

suspending-media eff'ect on soil pH. This interaction indicated that differences were not
attributable to experimental error only, but
that the size of the decrease in pH caused by
these electrolytes was related to soil pH, as

can.J.Soilsci.6l:577579(Novemberl98l) fbund with mineral soils by Davies

(191

l).

578

CANADIAN JO[,'R\"AL OF SOIL S('IENCE

This conclusion was also confirmed bv thc

fact that Rvti r 1965tand Collins er ul. r iv701
found good linear relationships between the
soil pH of mineral soils determined by diff'erent methods. In view of this uneveti effect of

the salt solutions on soil pH and the close

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relationships fbund between values obtained

by ditf'erent procedures in mineral soils, it

was considered useful to verifv these relationships in organic soils lbr inrproving the
accuracy ol' drta ctrnversion.
Linear regression equations were derived
for relating soil pH values between methods.
Data were obtained by measuring the pH of
30 field-moist organic soils potentiometrically about 30 min after mixing soils and solutions. Freld-moist soils were used mainlv to

aroid dill'iculties in reuctting dricd santplc\.

Soils uere compaeted inlo r container ttr
assure that similar volumes were obtained fbr
each determination. Soil pH values were determined by using the fbllowing volumetric
ratlos and solutions: l: I . soil to water: l:2 and
l:4. soil to 0.01M CaCll; and l:2 and l:'1. soil
to lN KCl. The 1:2 and l:4 soil to 0.01M
CaClz pH values were obtained by adding an
aliquot of either 0.02 or 0.01M CaCl2, respectively, to samples that had been used lbr
determining soil pH in water at the l:l soilwater ratio or in 0.01M CaCl, at the l:2 ratio.
An additional aliquot of 1N KCI was likewise
added to samples tested at the l:2 soil to lN

KCI ratio to determine the correspondins

values at the l:4 rario. This approich wai
taken instead of using fiesh samples when
changing soil-solution ratios to minimize the
effect of sample variation on the size of the
standard error of the estimate (s,.*). It was
assumed that this approach w,rirld lead t.l
more accurate comparisons between proce-

that soil pH values were practically indepen- 0.049

+ 0.995X, r : 0.999*", .r,.r : 0.036.

dent of (hc roil-solution ratio used: )'

Thc pH values determined in lN KCI

ranged from 2.62 to 6.58 at the l:2 and f}om
2.66 to 6.66 at the 1:4 soil-solution ratio. The
mean values obtained in lN KCI fbr thesc
solution ratios were 4.51 and 4.58. resoectivcll . Although thesc mcans were stariitically different (r-test. P < 0.01) and indicated
a slight dilution effect, the small ditferences
between these average pH values are of little

pratical importance. As with the measurements made with 0.0lM CaCl2. a close relationship was found between the data fiom
testing soils at the l:2 tXt ant.l l:4 rXt soil

solutionratios:

f :0.21 +0.98X.r:

0.998**,s,,.,:0.04.

These comparisons indicate that soil pH

values remain practically unaffected when
soil-solution ratios approaching those tested
are used. An equally good relationship was
found between the pH values measured in
0.01M CaClr (}] and lN KCI (X: both at the
l:2 ratio) as those between the diff'erent soilsolution ratios: I : 0.321 + 0.981X. r :

0.999x". s,.,

0.06 (Fig. l).

pH(CaCl,)
t-u

6.0

5.0

4.0

oures.

The pH values measured in 0.0lM CaCl2

ranged from 2.89 to 6.95 at the 1:2 and from
2.87 to 6.96 atthe l:4 soil-solution ratio. The
average soil pH values in A.0lM CaCl2 were
4.15 and 4.ll tor these soil-solution ratios.
respectively. The close relationships between
the data obtained ar rhe l:2 tY,1 and l:4 1Xr
soil-solution ratios fbr0.0l M CaCl. indicated

3.0
2.o

2.O 3.0

4.0

5.0

6.0

7.0

pH (KCl)

Fig.

Relationshrp bctween soil pH mcasured

in a l:2 r.'olumetric ratio of 0.0IM CaCl, and lN:

KCI.

519

The pH of soil determined in water ranged

between 3.05 and 1 .2 with a mean value of

5.21. The average pH values measured in

O.jlM CaCl2 and lN KCI (both at the l:2
ratio) were 0.44 and 0.7 pH units lower than
those measured in $ ater. respeclively.
Although not as precise as the relationship

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For personal use only.

between the procedures using salt solutions as

the suspending media, a good relationship

was obtained between the pH values in water
(X) and 0.01M CaClz (X; l:1 and l:2 ratios.

Y:0.53 + 0.9UX, r:
0.98'k*, s, * : 0.17 (Fig. 2). A similar

(s\. for the various regresston equa^) greater variation of the pH

tions. The
mate

measuremenls determined in water u as prtrb-

ably caused by errors related to the suspension cllect hy usinP. water as the \uspending medium. as mentioned by van
Lierop and Mackcnzic tl977t. An approximate conversion of pH values of these
methods may be obtained either by simply
adcling or subtracting the value of the interccpt of the propcr regre\sion equation or.

respectively):

possibly more accurately, by adding or sub-

relationship was aiso derived between the soil

pH data in water (X) and 1/{ KCi (X; l:1
and l:2 ratios, respectively): f : 0.876 +
0.961X, r : 0.98**, sr,.^ : 0.18.
-Ihe
relationships between the pH vaiues
measured in water and the salt solutions were

tween methods. Although adding or subtract-

significantly less precise than the rela-

tionships berveen the pH values measured in

the salt solutions. This fact was indicated by
the magnitude of the standard enor of esti-

ing a constant may simplify calculations,

using such a conversion procedure is
significantly less accurate than using an
appropriate regression equation, as the slope
of the regression may be substantially differ-

ent from one. Such slopes indicate that the

dil'ierencc in pH ralues between the \arlous

methods increased with increased with increasing soil pH.

COLLINS. J. B., WHITESIDL',

pH (H2 O)

CRESS. C.

E.

E P.,

and

1970. Scasonal variability of pH

and lime requiremcnts in several

Southern

Michigan soils rvhcn mcasurcd in differcnt ways.

Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. Proc.34:56-61.
DAVIES. B. E. 1971. A statistical comparison of

''o r

pH values of some English soils afier measurement

in both watcr and 0.01M CaCl:. Soil Sci. Soc.
Amer. Proc. 35: 551 552,
PEECH, M. 1955. Hydrogen-ion activlty. Pagcs

6.0

914-932 in C. A. Black. cd Methods of soil

analysis. vol. lI. Agronomy 9. Amcr. Soc of
Agron., Madison, Wis.
RYTI. R. 1965. On the dctermination of soil pH.
Maataloustict. Aikak. (Helsinki) 37: 51-60.

5,0

r=

0.98

sy.x = 0.17
! = 0.s: -i 0.98x

VAN LIEROP. W. and MACKENZIE' A.

F.

1977. Soil pH measurement and its application to

organic soils. Can. J. Soil Sci. 57: 55-64.

W. VAN LIEROP

2.O

3.0

4.O

5.0

pH (CaC12

6.0

7.0

2. Relationship between soil pH measured

in water at a 1:1 and 0.0lM CaCl, at a I :2 volumetric soil solution ratio.
Fig.

tracting the mean difference obtained be-

Soil Research Service,2700 Einstein Street,

Ste. Foy', Quebec GIP 3W8. Quebec'Minis-

try' of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, r'ontribution no. 296, received 6 Feb 198l, accepted 9 June 1981.