Comparison of the Ignition Method and the Perchloric Acid Digestion Method for the Determination of Total Phosphorus in Agricultural Soils of Taiwan.

摘要

The ignition method and the perchloric acid (HClO4) digestion method for the determination of total phosphorus (P) content in 65 agricultural soils of Taiwan were compared. The average amount of total P obtained by the ignition method was 4.3% less than that obtained by the HClO4 method. There was a wide range of variation, from 37% less to 21% more in the ignition method than those results obtained by the HClO4 digestion method. Because the ignition method can also be used for the estimation of soil organic P and is thus worthy of further study, it should be adopted as a routine procedure.