Comparative Evaluation of Inductively Coupled Plasma–Atomic Emission Spectroscopy and Colorimetric Methods for Determining Hot-Water-Extractable Boron in Soils

Abstract

Boron (B) deficiency frequency is increasing in rainfed systems and hence the need to diagnose the deficiency. Colorimetric methods are still widely used in soil testing laboratories in India for measuring B. Little information is available on the comparative evaluation of the colorimetric and inductively coupled plasma (ICP) methods for determining extractable B in soils. We describe results on the comparative evaluation of these methods for measuring extractable B in 57 soil samples with pH ranging from 5.0 to 9.5. There was a significant correlation between B values determined by the two methods and the correlation coefficient was higher for soil samples with pH in the neutral to alkaline range. Interaction between soil samples and methods (ICP or colorimetric) was significant except for soil samples in the pH range of 8.0 to 9.5. Precision for B determination was greater with the ICP than with the colorimetric method.

Pre-monsoon spatial distribution of available micronutrients and sulphur in surface soils and their management zones in Indian Indo-Gangetic Plain

“…Shukla et al [17] also recorded the concentration of available S ranging 0.55 to 130 mg kg -1 in soils of Shiwalik Himalayan region (SHR), India. The concentrations of available Zn, Fe, Mn and Cu were recorded ranging 0.10 to 8.00, 0.12 to 48.8, 0.53 to 26.6 and 0.10 to 7.97 mg kg -1 respectively, in soils of Trans-Gangetic Plain (TGP), India [12] and ranging 0.14 to 2.35, 0.90 to 28.5, 0.81 to 24.4 and 0.09 to 2.34 mg kg -1 respectively, in the soils of a Deccan Plateau Region (DPR), India [47]. The variations in the concentration of available B (hot water-soluble B) ranging 0.01 to 2.92 mg kg -1 in some acid soils [46] and ranging 0.19 to 6.11 mg kg -1 in some Indian Alfisols and Vertisols [47] were also reported.…”

“…The concentrations of available Zn, Fe, Mn and Cu were recorded ranging 0.10 to 8.00, 0.12 to 48.8, 0.53 to 26.6 and 0.10 to 7.97 mg kg -1 respectively, in soils of Trans-Gangetic Plain (TGP), India [12] and ranging 0.14 to 2.35, 0.90 to 28.5, 0.81 to 24.4 and 0.09 to 2.34 mg kg -1 respectively, in the soils of a Deccan Plateau Region (DPR), India [47]. The variations in the concentration of available B (hot water-soluble B) ranging 0.01 to 2.92 mg kg -1 in some acid soils [46] and ranging 0.19 to 6.11 mg kg -1 in some Indian Alfisols and Vertisols [47] were also reported. This variation in S and micronutrient concentration in IGP region is primarily because of nature of parent material, types of crops grown and amount and type of fertilizers applied in PLOS ONE the region.…”

Comparative Evaluation of Inductively Coupled Plasma–Optical Emission Spectroscopy and Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry for Determining DTPA-Extractable Micronutrients in Soils

“…Equally importantly, the method used for determining extractable micronutrient elements has implications for soil-test calibration and recommendation for micronutrient fertilization of crops (Sahrawat et al 2012). Because most of the soil-test calibration and recommendations are generally based on the use of AAS for determining extractable micronutrients in soils and the use of ICP is rather recent in developing countries including India, our earlier results on the comparative evaluation of ICP and colorimetric methods for determining extractable sulfur (S) and boron (B) in soils also emphasized the need for such research on the calibration and revision of the recommendations accordingly using ICP-based methods for the analysis of extractable micronutrients in soils (Sahrawat et al 2012;Shirisha et al 2010).…”

Models for predicting nutrient availability in soils from sub-Saharan Africa

“…Although correlations between extraction methods are high, a hot CaCl 2 solution extracts more B than pure hot water (Chaudhary and Shukla, 2004;Jeffrey and McCallum, 1988;Joshi et al, 2014). Activated charcoal also affects measurements as B concentrations decrease strongly with higher charcoal additions Sahrawat et al, 2012). Many studies do not report cooling time, although B re-adsorbs to the soil during cooling over time (Jeffrey and McCallum, 1988;.…”

“…Many studies do not report cooling time, although B re-adsorbs to the soil during cooling over time (Jeffrey and McCallum, 1988;. Both colorimetric and ICP determinations are used for analysis in the B-HW method, with colorimetric determinations generally resulting in higher B concentrations than ICP analysis (Gestring and Soltanpour, 1981;Jeffrey and McCallum, 1988;Sahrawat et al, 2012). As ICP measures total B in solution, B determined colorimetrically is likely to be overestimated due to interferences (Gestring and Soltanpour, 1981;Jeffrey and McCallum, 1988).…”