Mehlich 3 soil test extractant: A modification of Mehlich 2 extractant

1984/12/01 by A. Mehlich · 17 citations
Environmental Science · Materials Science · #Clay minerals and soil interactions #Mine drainage and remediation techniques #Phosphorus and nutrient management

paper · doi:10.1080/00103628409367568

crossref issued 1984/12/01 · crossref published 1984/12/01 · crossref published-print 1984/12/01 · openalex publication_date 1984/12/01 · crossref published-online 2008/11/11 · crossref created 2008/11/11 · crossref deposited 2017/10/17 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · crossref indexed 2026/07/31 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/01

Abstract

The objectives of this study were to modify the Mehlich 2 (M2) extractant to include Cu among the extractable nutrients, retain or enhance the wide range of soils for which it is suitable and minimize it's corrosive properties. The substitution of nitrate for chloride anions and the addition of EDTA accomplished those objectives. The new extracting solution, already designated Mehlich 3 (M3) is composed of 0.2N CH3COOH‐0.25N NH4N03‐0.015NNH4F‐0.013NHN03‐0.001M EDTA. Extractions from 105 soils using M3, M2, Bray 1 (Bl) and Ammonium Acetate (AA) were compared to evaluate the new extractant. The quantity of F extracted by M3 exceeded that by M2 20% and that by Bl 4% but the results from all extractions were highly correlated. Extractions of both K and Mg by M3 were 6–8% higher than those by AA and 3–4% higher than those by M2, but, again, there was high correlation among methods. Addition of EDTA increased Cu extractions by 170%, Mn by 50% and Zn by 25%. Cu extractions by M3 correlated with those from the Mehlich‐Bowling method. High correlations between Mn, as well as Zn, extracted by M3 and M2 were shown.

Citations

• DETERMINATION OF TOTAL, ORGANIC, AND AVAILABLE FORMS OF PHOSPHORUS IN SOILS

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