| Abstract: | The effect of four types of shaker, extraction time and temperature on the quantity of phosphate extracted by neutral ammonium citrate was evaluated at two research laboratories. Six unprocessed phosphate rocks, and five partially acidulated and four fully acidulated phosphate fertilisers were investigated. Compared with the more than 10-fold variation in the solubility of the two reactive phosphate rock materials, Sechura and North Carolina, that resulted from using different types of shaker, the solubility of the unreactive phosphate rock materials and the partially and fully acidulated phosphate fertilisers in citrate was influenced to a much smaller degree by the action of the shaker. Sechura was less soluble in citrate that all four unreactive phosphate rock materials when either of the two horizontal shakers were used. This is totally at odds with the documented differences in the chemical reactivity' and agronomic effectiveness of these phosphate rock materials. Not until a wrist-action shaker was used did the solubility of Sechura and North Carolina exceed that of the unreactive materials and approach that obtained with a full end-over-end shake. The neutral ammonium citrate procedure needs to include a more precise definition of the type of shaker and its speed. In laboratories where temperature-controlled extraction is not available, a 24-h shake at 20°C using an orbital or end-over-end apparatus could be an alternative to the standard 1-h extraction at 65°C. |
