Soil pH and aluminium and their spatial variation in Western Australian acidic soils

Abstract

Thirty-eight sites on acid soils (pH<5.5, 1:5 in water) in the medium rainfall region of Western Australia were sampled to examine spatial variation in soil pH and 0.01 mol/L CaCl2-extractable aluminium. We also examined the relationship between (i) the A1 and A2 horizon soil pH, (ii) the A1 and A2 horizon extractable aluminium, (iii) surface and subsurface soil pH and (iv) surface soil and subsurface soil-extractable Al. Soil at each site generally had a light-textured layer overlying a clay layer at varying depths (30-70 cm) and was classified as either Dy 5.21 or Dy 5.41 (Northcote 1979). Over 80% of the sites had surface soil pH values 4.8 or lower and extractable aluminium concentrations 2 ¦g/g or higher. There was a very poor correlation (r2 = 0.21) between the A1 horizon soil aluminium extracted in 0.01 mol/L CaCl2 and the pH measured in 0.01 mol/L CaCl2 over 1 ha sites. The relationship was slightly improved in the A2 horizon (r2 = 0.49). The coefficients of variation of soil pH varied from 1.2 to 5.1%, while the coefficients of variation for CaCl2-extractable aluminium varied from 10 to 50%. At many of the sites, low pH values and high aluminium concentrations extended down to 35-45 cm. At the B horizon the pH values generally increased and the aluminium concentrations decreased. The surface soil pH and extractable aluminium were not good indicators (r2 = 0.09-0.60) of the subsurface soil pH and extractable aluminium.