Evaluation of the Mehlich 3 Reagent as an Extractant for Cations and Available Phosphorus for Soils in Mozambique |
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| Authors: | Monrawee Fukuda Anabela da Conceição Lopes Fonseca Hisashi Nasukawa Momade Mamudo Ibraimo Kazuhiro Naruo |
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| Institution: | 1. Crop, Livestock, and Environment Division, Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS), Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan;2. Centro Zonal Nordeste (CZnd), Instituto de Investiga??o Agrária de Mo?ambique (IIAM), Nampula, Mozambique;3. NTC International Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan |
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| Abstract: | Accurate soil testing procedures contribute to agricultural development of Mozambique. The Mehlich 3 (M-3) procedure has not been evaluated for Mozambican soils despite its wide applicability. Results showed M-3 solution could extract exchangeable calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), and potassium (K) as well as 1 M ammonium acetate (NH4OAc), while M-3 was not appropriate for extraction of exchangeable sodium (Na). M-3 was an alternative procedure to Bray-I for available phosphorus (P) extraction. Although M-3 extracted 1.6 times more P than Bray-I, determination coefficient between the two procedures showed significantly high value. P content in M-3 extracts can determine using inductively coupled plasma spectrophotometers (ICP) to maximize the merits of M-3. In conclusion, M-3 is applicable for determination of exchangeable Ca, Mg, K, and available P, in a single determination using ICP, and should contribute to development of effective and accurate soil diagnosis in Mozambique. |
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| Keywords: | ICP Mehlich 3 Mozambique Nacala soil diagnosis |
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