• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.405-415
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• 2000

To determine application rate of elemental sulfur to adjust pH of alkaline soil, buffer curve method was investigated. The elemental sulfur required to control pH 8.3 to pH 6.3 by buffer curve calculation was treated in two soils of silty loam and sandy loam, and the sulfur-mixed soils were moistened with 50% of water holding capacity during incubation of 6 weeks at $30^{\circ}C$. Soil pH was lowered with incubation and reached to target point after 4 weeks of incubation, and elemental sulfur was oxidised entirely to sulfate. This means that buffer curve has the accuracy to determine sulfur application rate in alkaline soil. However it is estimated that application rate of sulfur should be carefully determined in the field scale. Excess application of elemental sulfur resulted in extremely low soil pH and caused the hinderance of lettuce growth by nutritional imbalance and ion toxicity. To simplify the determination procedure of sulfur requirement, buffer curve method by addition of 0.1N-HCl solution as unit of mL was developed, it was compared with theroutine methods which diluted $H_2SO_4$ solution and $Ca(OH)_2$ are added as cmolc per kg soil to adjust each pH step. Buffer capacities, cmolc kg $soil^{-1}$ $pH^{-1}$, calculated from two buffer curves were not significantly different. The result indicates that buffer curve method by 0.1N-HCl can be used to adjust high pH of alkaline soil.