Appendix A
Ratings Tables for New Zealand Soil Properties
See Tables A.1 and A.2.
Table A.1 Ratings for soil chemical properties after L. C. Blakemore, P. L. Searle, and B. K. Daly 1987. Methods for chemical analysis of soils.
NZ Soil Bureau Scientific Report 80. 103p. ISSN 03041735. Reproduced with permission of Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research
Rating
Very high
High
Medium
Low
Very low
A1: Ratings for soil pH, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus
pH
(1:2.5 soil: water)
>9.0
(extremely
alkaline)
8.4–9.0
(strongly
alkaline)
7.6–8.3
(moderately
alkaline)
7.1–7.5
(slightly
alkaline)
6.6–7.0 (near
neutral)
6.0–6.5
(slightly
acid)
5.3–5.9
(moderately
acid)
4.5–5.2
(strongly
acid)
<4.5
(extremely
acid)
Organic matter
Organic carbon (%)
>20
10–20
4–10
2–4
< 2
Total nitrogen (%)
>1.0
0.6–1.0
0.3–0.6
0.1–0.3
<0.1
C/N
>24
16–24
12–16
10–12
<10
Phosphorus
Truog (lg/g)
>50
30–50
20–30
10–20
<10
Olsen (lg/g)
>50
30–50
20–30
10–20
<10
0.5M H 2 SO 4 (cmol
(+) kg
−1
)
>40
20–40
10–20
5–10
<5
Inorganic (cmol
(+) kg
−1 )
>50
30–50
20–30
10–20
<10
Organic (cmol
(+) kg
−1
)
>70
50–70
20–50
10–20
<10
Total (cmol
(+) kg
−1
)
>120
80–120
40–80
20–40
<20
P retention (%)
90–100
60–90
30–60
10–30
0–10
A2: Ratings for cation exchange related properties
Cation exchange
properties (NH 4 OAc,
pH7)
CEC (cmol
(+) kg
−1 )
>40
25–40
12–25
6–12
<6
R Bases (cmol
(+) kg
−1
)
>25
15–25
7–15
3–7
< 3
BS (%)
80–100
60–80
40–60
20–40
<20
Ca (cmol
(+) kg
−1
)
>20
10–20
5–10
2–5
< 2
Mg (cmol
(+) kg
−1
)
> 7
3 –7
1 –3
0.5–1
<0.5
K (cmol
(+) kg
−1
)
>1.2
0.8–1.2
0.5–0.8
0.3–0.5
<0.3
Na (cmol
(+) kg
−1
)
>2
0.7–2
0.3–0.7
0.1–0.3
<0.1
KCl—extract
Al
(cmol
(+) kg
−1
)
>5
2–5
0.5–2.0
0.1–0.5
<0.1
Exchange Acidity (pH 8.2) (cmol
(+) kg
−1
)
>60
30–60
15–30
5–15
<5
Reserve
K c
>0.5
0.35–0.5
0.20–0.35
0.10–0.20
<0.10
Mg r
>30
15–30
7–15
3–7
< 3
(continued)
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
A. E. Hewitt et al., The Soils of Aotearoa New Zealand, World Soils Book Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64763-6
315
Ratings Tables for New Zealand Soil Properties
See Tables A.1 and A.2.
Table A.1 Ratings for soil chemical properties after L. C. Blakemore, P. L. Searle, and B. K. Daly 1987. Methods for chemical analysis of soils.
NZ Soil Bureau Scientific Report 80. 103p. ISSN 03041735. Reproduced with permission of Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research
Rating
Very high
High
Medium
Low
Very low
A1: Ratings for soil pH, carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus
pH
(1:2.5 soil: water)
>9.0
(extremely
alkaline)
8.4–9.0
(strongly
alkaline)
7.6–8.3
(moderately
alkaline)
7.1–7.5
(slightly
alkaline)
6.6–7.0 (near
neutral)
6.0–6.5
(slightly
acid)
5.3–5.9
(moderately
acid)
4.5–5.2
(strongly
acid)
<4.5
(extremely
acid)
Organic matter
Organic carbon (%)
>20
10–20
4–10
2–4
< 2
Total nitrogen (%)
>1.0
0.6–1.0
0.3–0.6
0.1–0.3
<0.1
C/N
>24
16–24
12–16
10–12
<10
Phosphorus
Truog (lg/g)
>50
30–50
20–30
10–20
<10
Olsen (lg/g)
>50
30–50
20–30
10–20
<10
0.5M H 2 SO 4 (cmol
(+) kg
−1
)
>40
20–40
10–20
5–10
<5
Inorganic (cmol
(+) kg
−1 )
>50
30–50
20–30
10–20
<10
Organic (cmol
(+) kg
−1
)
>70
50–70
20–50
10–20
<10
Total (cmol
(+) kg
−1
)
>120
80–120
40–80
20–40
<20
P retention (%)
90–100
60–90
30–60
10–30
0–10
A2: Ratings for cation exchange related properties
Cation exchange
properties (NH 4 OAc,
pH7)
CEC (cmol
(+) kg
−1 )
>40
25–40
12–25
6–12
<6
R Bases (cmol
(+) kg
−1
)
>25
15–25
7–15
3–7
< 3
BS (%)
80–100
60–80
40–60
20–40
<20
Ca (cmol
(+) kg
−1
)
>20
10–20
5–10
2–5
< 2
Mg (cmol
(+) kg
−1
)
> 7
3 –7
1 –3
0.5–1
<0.5
K (cmol
(+) kg
−1
)
>1.2
0.8–1.2
0.5–0.8
0.3–0.5
<0.3
Na (cmol
(+) kg
−1
)
>2
0.7–2
0.3–0.7
0.1–0.3
<0.1
KCl—extract
Al
(cmol
(+) kg
−1
)
>5
2–5
0.5–2.0
0.1–0.5
<0.1
Exchange Acidity (pH 8.2) (cmol
(+) kg
−1
)
>60
30–60
15–30
5–15
<5
Reserve
K c
>0.5
0.35–0.5
0.20–0.35
0.10–0.20
<0.10
Mg r
>30
15–30
7–15
3–7
< 3
(continued)
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
A. E. Hewitt et al., The Soils of Aotearoa New Zealand, World Soils Book Series,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64763-6
315