446
Views
144
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

Contribution of organic matter and clay minerals to the cation exchange capacity of soils

, &
Pages 1343-1355 | Published online: 11 Nov 2008
 

Abstract

The cation exchange capacity (CEC) at pH 7 was measured for samples of 347 A horizons and 696 B horizons of New Zealand soils. The mean CEC was 22.1 cmolc/kg for the A horizons and 15.2 cmolc/kg for the B horizons. Multiple regressions were carried out for CEC against organic carbon (C), clay content, and the content of seven groups of clay minerals. The results, significant at p <0.001, were consistent with most of the CEC arising from soil organic matter. For the samples of A horizon, the calculated CEC was 221 cmolc/kg per unit C and for the B horizons was 330 cmolc/kg C. There was also a contribution from sites on clay minerals. Multiple regression indicated that smectite had a higher CEC (70 cmolc/kg) than other minerals but it was not as high as that of type smectites; kaolin minerals had the lowest CEC. There was a significant effect of interaction between organic matter and some clay minerals on the CEC. Samples from B horizons containing allophane had lower CEC than those not containing allophane which is consistent with allophane reacting with carboxyl groups on organic matter. For the samples from the A horizons, however the CEC was higher when allophane was present.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.