Practical applications of ion exchange resins in agricultural and environmental soil research

Abstract

Qian, P. and Schoenau, J. J. 2002. Practical applications of ion exchange resins in agricultural and environmental soil research. Can. J. Soil Sci. 82: 9-21. The use of synthetic ion-exchange resins to examine ion bioavailability in soil and sediment systems has attracted much attention over the years. The first report in this regard was made 7-8 yr after resins were developed in the 1930s. So far, nearly 400 journal articles have been published related to use of resins in soil and environmental studies. The experience gained has led to more widespread applications in research as well as practical use in soil fertility assessment and fertilizer recommendations. Two commercial products developed in North America have directly resulted from years of research efforts. Recent developments in resin technology and availability warrant an updated review of the literature to aid in better understanding and utilizion of this technique.In this paper we provide an overview of historic and current developments in the use of ion exchange techniques in soil research. We also provide specific examples of successful use of batch and diffusion-sensitive ion exchange techniques in research and commercial use to assess ion availability. Finally, we address certain frequently asked questions about how the ion exchange resin technique is applied and how results are interpreted, including their advantages and limitations.Key words: Ion exchange resin, agriculture, environment, soil research Qian, P. et Schoenau, J. J. 2002. Application pratique des résines échangeuses d'ions dans la recherche sur les sols cultivés et naturels. Can. J. Soil Sci. 82: 9-21. L'usage de résines échangeuses d'ions pour évaluer la biodisponibilité des ions dans le sol et les sédiments a considérablement retenu l'attention au fil des ans. Le premier rapport sur le sujet a été publié 7 ou 8 ans après la création des résines, dans les années 30. On répertorie pour l'instant près de 400 articles sur l'utilisation de telles résines dans les études sur le sol et sur l'environnement, dans les périodiques scientifiques. L'expérience aidant, les applications de ces produits en recherche et pour l'évaluation de la fertilité du sol et la formulation de recommandations se sont multipliées. De nombreuses années de recherche ont abouti à la genèse de deux produits commerciaux en Amérique du Nord. Les progrès récents de la technologie des résines et l'existence de tels produits justifient un nouveau regard sur la littérature scientifique, si l'on veut mieux comprendre et exploiter cette technique. Les auteurs tracent dans leurs grandes lignes l'historique des techniques d'échange d'ions dans la recherche sur les sols et les développements récents en la matière. Ils présentent aussi des cas spécifiques où les techniques d'échange d'ions par lot et par diffusion ont donné de bons résultats dans la recherche et le commerce pour évaluer la disponibilité des ions. Enfin, les auteurs répondent à des questions souvent posées sur les applications de la technique des résines échan...

Soil Nitrogen Transformations and Availability in Upland Pine and Bottomland Alder Forests

“…In addition, at MM and HM, the anaerobic conditions could have restricted the nitrification process, especially since the mean net nitrification rate at MM and HM was two to three times lower than that at LM (Figure 1), and this would tend to conserve NH4 + as the major form of inorganic N. The dominance of NH4 + in the inorganic N pool agreed with previous studies from alder forests [18,63] and wetlands [17,64]. + may be strongly associated with soil organic matter and unavailable to plants [18] at the MM and HM stands where soil organic matter concentration was high (Table 1) This result implies that IER or ion exchange membranes could be comprehensive and practical indices for N availability in reality [27,65], even though the lack of standardized application remains the challenge [66]. The assumption that plant available N is mainly driven through N mineralization, was not applicable in the MM and HM BAF stands; net N transformation rates failed to meet the interest in N availability.…”

“…On the other hand, IER assay data would be the best indirect measure of N availability unless the direct measure of plant uptake using stable isotope. An additional advantage of IER or ion exchange membrane assays is to determine availabilities of other nutrients such as phosphorus and cations simultaneously with inorganic N [66][67][68].…”

Evaluating phosphorus loading from repeated manure applications to two Saskatchewansoils

“…Labile P was determined on soil samples collected in spring 2004 using four different extraction methods: Modified Kelowna (MK) (Qian et al 1994), Plant Root Simulator (PRS TM ) probes (Qian and Schoenau 2002), water extractable (Schoenau and Huang 1991), and total, inorganic, and organic sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO 3 ) extractable (Olsen) P fractions (Olsen et al 1954;Tiessen and Moir 1993). Olsen extractable organic P was determined by subtracting inorganic Olsen P from total Olsen P. The labile P in the MK, PRS, Olsen, and water extractions were determined colorimetrically (Murphy and Riley 1962) using the Autoanalyzer II segmented automated colorimetry system.…”

Oxygen isotope ratios of plant available phosphate in lowland tropical forest soils

“…We focused our measurements on phosphate that can be extracted with anion exchange resin (hereafter "resin-P"), which is considered to approximate the phosphate pool that is available for plant uptake (Cooperband et al, 1999;Qian and Schoenau, 2002). The incubations had three aims.…”