Abstract
Because of the large number of soil samples routinely analysed at the Soil Analysis Service Ltd., there is a need for simultaneous determination of sulphur by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Calcium chloride is at present used to extract sulphur and ammonium acetate to extract calcium, potassium, magnesium and phosphorus.
In this comparative study, based on 100 soil samples, calcium chloride and ammonium acetate were used as extractants in order to determine the amount of plant available sulphur in soil.
The purpose was to study the potential and characteristics of ammonium acetate as an extractant for soil sulphur, and to explain discrepancies between this and the other method.
The results obtained so far indicate that the ammonium acetate method is basically sound.
Possibilities of a chemometric approach, applied in treating the results, are discussed.
Key words: