Analysis of K and Na content of Soil samples by Flame Emission Photometry with other parameters
Pravin Chavan1*, Dhanraj Kamble2, Dattatraya Pansare3, Rohini Shelke4, Megha Rai5
1Department of Chemistry, Doshi Vakil Arts College and GCUB Science and Commerce College,
Goregaon-Raigad, 402103, Maharashtra, India.
2Department of Chemistry, S. B.E.S. College of Science, Aurangabad 431001, Maharashtra, India.
3Department of Chemistry, Deogiri College Chh. Sambhaji Nagar, 431005, Maharashtra, India.
4Department of Chemistry, Radhabai Kale Mahila Mahavidyalaya, 414001, Maharashtra, India.
5Department of Chemistry, Dr. Rafiq Zakaria College for Women,
Chh. Sambhaji Nagar 431001, Maharashtra, India.
*Corresponding Author E-mail: chemistryp141286@gmail.com
ABSTRACT:
The present study aims to determine the concentrations of potassium (K), sodium (Na), and soil pH in samples collected from the Vaijapur tehsil region. Fertilizer-derived elements leached from the deposits have accumulated in the soil, contributing to soil pollution. The focus of this research is to compare the nutrient content of barren soil and Cotton field soil in the Vaijapur tehsil area using flame photometry analysis.
Role of macro elements- Nitrogen (N): Often measured using methods such as the Kjeldahl method or nitrate testing. Nitrogen is vital for leaf and stem growth but needs to be balanced to avoid excess. Phosphorus (P): Measured through colorimetric methods, phosphorus is crucial for root development and flowering. Potassium (K): Important for water regulation, disease resistance, and overall plant health. Often measured using flame photometry. Calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg): These macronutrients are important for cell wall strength and overall plant health.
Sodium is one of the important elements for maintaining soil health. Sodium (Na) is an essential element in the soil, but in excess, it can cause significant issues for plant growth and soil health. While sodium plays a role in maintaining osmotic pressure and water retention in plants, its presence in high concentrations, particularly in the form of sodium salts, can lead to soil salinization and degradation. Here is a detailed overview of sodium in soil:
Nutrient Function: Sodium is classified as a micronutrient and plays a role in plant metabolism, although it is not as essential as elements like nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium. Sodium can contribute to:
Osmotic Regulation: Sodium helps plants manage water balance by influencing the osmotic potential of cells.
Cation Balance: Sodium acts in conjunction with other cations (like potassium and calcium) to maintain ion balance and the electrical neutrality of soil solutions.
Enzyme Activation: In some plants, sodium can help activate certain enzymes involved in metabolic processes.
Excess Sodium: When sodium is present in excess, it can harm plants by:
Disrupting Nutrient Uptake: High sodium levels can interfere with the uptake of essential nutrients, particularly potassium and calcium, by plants.
Toxicity: Sodium toxicity can cause leaf burn, stunted growth, and poor root development in many plants, leading to reduced agricultural productivity.
Effects of Excess Sodium on Soil: Excess sodium in soil leads to several detrimental effects, primarily affecting soil structure and plant health:
Soil Salinization: Sodium salts, especially sodium chloride (NaCl), can accumulate in the soil, leading to high salinity. Saline soils hinder plant growth by:
Water Stress: High sodium concentrations increase osmotic pressure in the soil, making it difficult for plants to absorb water even when it is available.
Toxicity to Plants: High sodium levels can directly affect plant roots, causing toxicity and reducing plant vigor.
Soil Dispersion and Structural Degradation: Sodium tends to disperse clay particles in the soil, weakening soil structure. This results in:
Reduced Permeability: Soil becomes compacted, reducing water infiltration and root growth.
Poor Aeration: The lack of proper soil structure can lead to low oxygen levels for plant roots, further stunting growth.
Alkaline Soil: Excess sodium can also raise the pH of the soil, making it more alkaline. Alkaline conditions can reduce the availability of essential nutrients like iron, manganese, and phosphorus.
Sodium and Soil Management:
Managing sodium levels is essential for maintaining soil health and ensuring optimal crop production. Some strategies for managing excess sodium in the soil include:
Leaching: Leaching involves applying large amounts of water to the soil to flush out excess sodium. This method is more effective in regions where water availability is not a limiting factor.
Amendments: Adding amendments such as gypsum (calcium sulfate) can help to displace sodium ions from soil particles and improve soil structure. Calcium ions from gypsum replace sodium ions, leading to improved soil permeability and reduced salinity.
Improved Irrigation Practices: Use of high-quality irrigation water with low sodium content, proper drainage, and avoiding over-irrigation can help prevent sodium accumulation.
Salt-Tolerant Crops: In areas with naturally high sodium levels or where salinization is a problem, growing salt-tolerant crops (such as barley, cotton, or certain types of grasses) can be an effective solution.
Role of Potassium in Plants:
Potassium is a non-structural nutrient in plants, meaning it does not form part of the plant's structural components (like carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus). However, it is indispensable for the following functions:
Enzyme Activation: Potassium activates more than 60 enzymes involved in key plant processes such as starch synthesis, protein synthesis, and energy production.
Photosynthesis: Potassium helps regulate the opening and closing of stomata, which are crucial for the uptake of carbon dioxide during photosynthesis.
Water Regulation: Potassium plays a key role in the regulation of water and nutrient movement within plant cells, helping plants maintain hydration during drought conditions.
Protein and Starch Formation: It aids in the formation of proteins, starches, and sugars, which are essential for plant growth and development.
Disease Resistance: Potassium strengthens plant cell walls and helps plants resist diseases, pests, and environmental stresses.
Potassium Toxicity in Soil: While potassium is crucial for plant growth, excess potassium can lead to problems:
Nutrient Imbalance: High potassium levels can interfere with the uptake of other essential nutrients, especially magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), and sodium (Na), leading to deficiencies in these nutrients.
Salinity Issues: High potassium concentrations can increase the electrical conductivity (EC) of the soil, leading to soil salinization, which harms plant growth.
However, potassium toxicity is less common than deficiencies and typically occurs in soils with high potassium fertilization or poor drainage systems.
Potassium Fertilization and Management: To optimize potassium availability in the soil, several strategies can be applied:
Soil Testing: Regular soil testing helps determine potassium levels in the soil, allowing for accurate fertilization recommendations based on crop requirements.
Fertilization: Potassium is applied through various fertilizers, including potassium chloride (KCl), potassium sulfate (K2SO4), or potassium nitrate (KNO3). The type of fertilizer and application rate depend on the crop's potassium requirements and soil potassium levels.
Balanced Fertilizer Use: It's important to balance potassium fertilization with other nutrients, especially nitrogen and phosphorus, as excessive potassium can interfere with the uptake of other essential nutrients.
Organic Amendments: Compost, manure, and other organic materials contribute potassium to the soil over time. Organic sources are especially valuable in maintaining soil fertility in the long term.
Crop Rotation: Rotating crops that have varying potassium needs can help maintain a balanced nutrient profile in the soil and prevent nutrient depletion.
The accumulation of chemical pollutants from fertilizers in the soil, plants, animals, and ultimately humans, necessitates careful examination. Therefore, it is important to analyse the soil's physicochemical properties and macronutrient composition.
Various analytical instruments such as Flame photometry, spectrophotometry, RP-HPLC, HPLC, etc 3-6 are used for element analysis.3-6 Na and P elements are present in organometallic complexes, natural complexes, complex drugs, etc.7-12 Such analysis is less hazardous by some instruments.13
Several researchers have studied the analysis of K, Na, Ca, Mg, and other elements in soil and water.14-16 Nowadays, water and soil pollution increase daily due to the use of artificial fertilizers in soil for crops without soil analysis. Hence, the study of water and soil analysis is important; therefore, we have studied this topic.
MATERIALS AND METHODS:
Representative soil samples were collected from various villages in the Vaijapur taluka using the standard quadrat procedure. In the laboratory, these samples were analyzed for various chemical parameters using established standard methods.
Equipment and Reagents: The following equipment and solutions were used for the analysis: a digital pH meter, flame photometer with sodium (Na) and potassium (K) filters, centrifuge tubes, beakers, and volumetric flasks.
A 1.0 N ammonium acetate solution (pH 7) was prepared by dissolving 77.08 g of ammonium acetate in 1 liter of double-distilled water. The pH of this solution was adjusted to 7 using a pH meter, with the addition of dilute ammonium hydroxide (NH₄OH) and acetic acid solution, and then the volume was made up to 1 liter with distilled water.
Preparation of Standard KCl Solution: Dissolve 1.908g of AR-grade KCl in double-distilled water and make the volume up to 1 liter. This will yield a stock solution with a concentration of 1000ppm K. Next, take 100mL of this stock solution and dilute it with neutral ammonium acetate to a final volume of 1 liter, resulting in a 100ppm K solution. From this 100ppm K solution, transfer 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10mL portions into separate 100mL volumetric flasks. This will generate a series of standard solutions with concentrations of 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10ppm K, respectively.
Preparation of Standard NaCl Solution:
Dissolve 2.542g of AR-grade NaCl in double-distilled water and adjust the volume to 1 liter. This will result in a stock solution with a concentration of 1000ppm Na. Next, take 100mL of this stock solution and dilute it with neutral ammonium acetate to a final volume of 1 liter, producing a 100ppm Na solution. From this 100 ppm Na solution, transfer 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10mL portions into separate 100mL volumetric flasks. This will create a series of standard solutions with concentrations of 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10ppm Na, respectively.17,18
Methodology:
The ammonium acetate extract from the soil can be obtained through shaking and filtration.
Shaking and Filtration: Weigh 5g of air-dried soil and place it in a 150mL flask. Add 25mL of neutral ammonium acetate to the flask. Shake the mixture on a mechanical shaker for 5 minutes, then immediately filter it through Whatman filter paper No. 1.
Determination of Potassium and Sodium:
Determine the concentrations of potassium (K) and sodium (Na) individually in the soil extract prepared by the previously described method, using a flame photometer (Model No. EQ-855A). Set the air pressure to 5 lbs and adjust the gas feeder to produce a sharp blue flame. Calibrate the flame photometer by setting the zero reading on the scale using the ammonium acetate extract solution. Next, record the readings for each standard solution of K and Na, and plot a standard curve showing the relationship between the concentration and the readings for each standard solution of K and Na.
Finally, take the soil extract samples and feed them into the flame photometer. Record the readings for the samples and use the standard curve to determine the concentrations of K and Na in samples.19,20
Determination of Physico-Chemical Parameters:
The pH of the soil was determined using a calibrated digital pH meter. To do this, 20 g of the soil sample was placed in a beaker, 50 mL of distilled water was added, and the pH was measured.21
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:
Table 1: Analysis of Potassium and Sodium Contents in Soil
|
- |
Conc. of K (ppm) |
Emission for K+ (STD samples) |
Conc. of Na (ppm) |
Emission for Na+ (STD samples) |
|||||
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
||||||
|
04 |
04 |
04 |
11 |
||||||
|
10 |
07 |
10 |
26 |
||||||
|
16 |
10 |
16 |
48 |
||||||
|
22 |
14 |
22 |
68 |
||||||
|
30 |
17 |
30 |
93 |
||||||
|
Entry No. |
Name of area |
pH |
- |
Emission for K+ (Unknown samples) |
- |
Emission for Na+ (Unknown samples) |
|||
|
|
|
CFSS |
BFSS |
CFSS |
BFSS |
CFSS |
BFSS |
||
|
1. |
Shivrai (Kubhari) |
7.03 |
6.98 |
14 |
15 |
25 |
15 |
||
|
2. |
Shivrai (Malyacha mala) |
7.55 |
6.89 |
15 |
14 |
23 |
18 |
||
|
3. |
Tidi |
6.98 |
6.90 |
13 |
16 |
22 |
14 |
||
|
4. |
Tidi-Wadi |
7.83 |
7.79 |
11 |
13 |
24 |
22 |
||
|
5. |
Palkhed |
7.5 |
7.05 |
12 |
15 |
28 |
26 |
||
|
6. |
Gaikwad Wadi |
6.87 |
6.72 |
17 |
16 |
21 |
22 |
||
|
7. |
Dattawadi |
7.00 |
6.74 |
08 |
16 |
25 |
27 |
||
|
8. |
Sawandgaon |
6.98 |
6.91 |
11 |
13 |
22 |
23 |
||
|
9. |
Golwadi |
7.02 |
6.93 |
14 |
16 |
30 |
25 |
||
|
10. |
Kanak sagaj |
6.89 |
6.87 |
10 |
11 |
19 |
17 |
||
*CFSS= Cotton Field Soil Sample and BFSS= Barren Field Soil Sample
Figure 1: Soil sample containing a concentration of K and Na a) K (ppm) CFSS, b) K (ppm) BFSS, c) Na (ppm) CFSS, d) Na (ppm) BFSS
Chart 1: Potassium content in CFSS and BFSS soil
Chart 2: Sodium content in CFSS and BFSS soil
After flame photometric analysis of the collected soil samples, the potassium (K) content in the Cotton Field Soil Sample (CFSS) showed variation across different entries. The highest K content was observed in entry no. 6, with an emission intensity of 17 and a concentration of 24.9ppm. In contrast, the lowest K content was found in entry no. 7, which had an emission intensity of 8 and a concentration of 11.9ppm (Table 1, Chart 1).
Similarly, for the Barren Field Soil Sample (BFSS), the highest potassium levels were recorded in entries no. 3, 6, 7, and 9, where the emission intensity was 16 and the concentration was 19.1 ppm. The lowest K content in the BFSS was found in entry no. 10, with an emission intensity of 11 and a concentration of 16 ppm (Table 1, Chart 1).
Based on the instrumental data analysis, the Barren Field Soil Sample (BFSS) contains a higher concentration of potassium (K) compared to the Cotton Field Soil Sample (CFSS). This can be attributed to the continuous cultivation of cotton crops in the CFSS, where potassium is consumed by the growing plants, leading to a deficiency in the soil. In contrast, the BFSS benefits from the natural decomposition process, including the breakdown of plant roots and the action of soil microbes, which contribute to a higher potassium content.
Additionally, sodium (Na) content was analyzed using flame photometry. The results for the Cotton Field Soil Sample (CFSS) showed variation in sodium concentrations. The highest sodium content was found in entry no. 9, with an emission intensity of 30 and a concentration of 9.6 ppm. Conversely, the lowest sodium content was observed in entry no. 10, where the emission intensity was 19 and the concentration was 5.8 ppm (Table 1, Chart 2).
The sodium content of the Barren Field Soil Sample (BFSS) showed variation across different entries. The highest sodium concentration was observed in entry no. 7, with an emission intensity of 27 and a concentration of 8.6 ppm. The lowest sodium content was found in entry no. 3, with an emission intensity of 14 and a concentration of 4.4 ppm (Table 1, Chart 2).
When comparing the overall sodium content between the CFSS and BFSS, the CFSS exhibited higher sodium levels. This is attributed to the increased water pollution and hardness of water. Cotton crops require large amounts of water for growth, and farmers typically supply borewell water for irrigation. Over time, the hardness of the water increases due to the rising number of vertical and horizontal borewells. Horizontal borewells, in particular, contribute to the increased hardness of the water by mixing water from different rock layers in the earth. The blending of water from these varying rock layers raises the sodium content, which is then supplied to cotton crops, resulting in the elevated sodium levels observed in the CFSS.
Figure 2: Horizontal borewell
Soil pH Analysis: The pH of the soil was measured using a pH meter. Based on the overall results from all collected samples, the pH of the CFSS was slightly higher than that of the BFSS. This difference is likely due to the polluted and hard water supplied to the CFSS, further contributing to changes in soil pH.
CONCLUSION:
After analyzing the potassium (K), sodium (Na) content, and pH levels of the soil, we found that the CFSS contains lower potassium levels than the BFSS. This difference may be due to the absence of chemical fertilizer use in the BFSS. Additionally, the sodium content in the RFSS is higher than in the BFSS, which can be attributed to the pollution and hardness of borewell water. Furthermore, the pH level of the RFSS is slightly higher than that of the BFSS. Based on these findings, we recommend that both the community and government take action to prohibit the use of horizontal borewells.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST:
The authors have no conflicts of interest regarding this investigation.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT:
The authors express their gratitude to Principal, Doshi Vakil Arts and G.C.U.B. Science and Commerce College, Goregaon-Raigad, for their support.
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Received on 15.10.2024 Revised on 05.11.2024 Accepted on 22.11.2024 Published on 25.11.2024 Available online from December 27, 2024 Asian J. Research Chem. 2024; 17(6):337-343. DOI: 10.52711/0974-4150.2024.00057 © AJRC All right reserved
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