Woodruff (1948), Shoemaker et al.

(1961), Adams & Evans (1962), Yuan (1974) and

Mehlich (1976). Comparative studies on the accuracy of these buffers for liming
determinations to a particular target soil pH have been conducted during the last forty
years. Some of the more recent comparisons are by Fox (1980), Tran & van Lierop
(1981, 1982), Alabi et al. (1986) and Aitken et al. (1990), all of whom find the SMP
buffer (Shoemaker et al., 1961) to be most accurate. These studies were made on a wide
range of geographic positions from Canada, the USA and Australia, and using
individual calibrations to target pHs of either 5.5, 6.0 and 6.5.

The broad objective of this paper is to derive a useful and versatile calibration for the
SMP buffer, so that it may be used in the development of an effective DSS for site-
specific soil acidity management. The ultimate goal of the research is to use one such
DSS in a soil pH and lime requirement proximal sensing system, proposed by Viscarra
Rossel & McBratney (1997). A secondary aim is to demonstrate the spatial variability
of lime requirement and the rationale behind site-specific liming.

METHODOLOGY

Thirteen agricultural surface soils (0 – 20 cm depth) with differing properties, from

across the wheat-belt of NSW, Australia were collected to determine their lime
requirement by an incubation experiment and the SMP buffer procedure.

Analytical methods

Relevant soil properties were measured before soil incubation and lime requirement
determinations. Soil pH was measured in both 0.01M CaCl2 and H2O. Organic matter
was determined using the dichromate oxidation method of Walkley & Black (1934) and
clay content by the hydrometer method described by Gee & Bauder (1986). Cation
exchange capacity (CEC) was measured using the (AgTU)+ method and exchangeable
aluminium by the 1M KCl method, both described in Rayment & Higginson (1992).

Two hundred grams of each of the thirteen soils were incubated for twelve months with
amounts of analytical grade CaCO3 corresponding to 0, 2.5, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40
and 50 tonnes of lime per hectare. Conversions to tonnes CaCO3 per hectare were made
using an average bulk density of 1.3 gcm-3 and assumed incorporation to 0.2 m depths.
Soils were then wet to field capacity and the incubation period comprised of four
wetting / drying cycles. After drying, soils were crushed (<2 mm), re-mixed and re-
moistened to field capacity. Soil pH was measured at the start, middle and end of the
incubation period, when pHs had stabilised.

Equilibrium SMP buffer pH measurements were made following the authors’

suggestions, as follows: SMP buffer was made up to an initial buffer pH of 7.5 ± 0.05.
pH measurements were then made in a 1:1:2 soil-CaCl2-buffer mixture after it had been
shaken for 10 minutes and allowed to stand for an additional 15 minutes.