The Mehlich-1 extractant (implemented in 1953) was developed by Dr. Adolph Mehlich for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture Soil Testing Division. It is a versatile soil extractant that is used for determining the amounts of phosphorus, potass ium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, manganese, copper and boron. It is made up of a dilute solution of hydrochloric and sulfuric acids, thus it is often referred to as the "double acid" extractant. It works well for acidic, low cation exchange capacity (CEC) soils which encompasses essentially all of the soils in the Southeast. The Mehlich-1 extractant is used by Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Virginia, Georgia and South Carolina as well as many private laboratories.
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