Surface charge characteristics and lime requirements of soils derived from basaltic, granite and metamorphic rocks in high rainfall tropical Queensland

The cation and anion exchange capacities of a large number of soils formed on basaltic, granitic, and metamorphic parent materials in the high rainfall area (approximately 4000 mm) of tropical north Queensland have been examined. Aspects studied included the changes in CEC and AEC between pH 4 and pH 6, the relative amounts of permanent and variable charge over this pH range, and the lime requirements of these highly weathered soils. A distinction is made between the Total Cation Exchange Capacity (CECT), defined as the Ca + Al adsorbed, and the Basic Cation Exchange Capacity (CECB), which is the Ca adsorbed. At low pH, CECB may be much less than CECT. The CEC, increase with pH in the highly oxidic basaltic soils is largely due to changes in surface charge, while in the granitic and metamorphic soils, increasing occupation of exchange sites by Al as pH decreases is the factor responsible for the increase in CECB. A good estimation of CECB at soil pH is obtained with a previously described compulsive exchange method, and there is high correlation between CECT at soil pH and the Effective Cation Exchange Capacity (= Ca + Mg + K + Na + Al). The amount of lime required to raise soil pH to pH 5.5 in the granitic and metamorphic soils was equivalent to the amount of exchangeable Al, but in the basaltic soils the lime requirement was two to three times greater than the amount of exchangeable Al.