Chemical Fractions of Mn in Acidic Soils and Selection of Suitable Soil Extractants for Assessing Mn Availability to Maize (Zea Mays L.)

Twenty surface (0-15cm) samples of acidic soils were analyzed for water soluble (WS), exchangeable (EX), lead displaceable (Pb-disp.), acid soluble (AS), manganese (Mn) oxide occluded (MnOX), organically bound (OB), amorphous Fe oxide occluded (AFeOX), crystalline iron (Fe) oxide occluded (CFeOX) and residual (RES) fractions of Mn, and also for extractable Mn in some common soil extractants: (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (DTPA) (pH 7.3), DTPA (pH 5.3), AB-DTPA (pH 7.6), Mehlich-3 (pH 2.0), Modified Olsen, 0.005M calcium chloride (CaCl2), 1M magnesium chloride (MgCl2) and ion exchange resins. The WS-Mn fraction showed a significant and positive correlation with Mn extractable in DTPA (pH 5.3) and AB-DTPA (pH 7.6), while both WS-Mn and EX-Mn fractions correlated significantly and positively with Mn concentration and uptake by maize plants grown in these soils. The AB-DTPA (pH 7.6) and DTPA (pH 5.3) appeared suitable to assess the availability of Mn in acidic soils.