Buffer pH

The lime requirement of a soil needed to raise soil acidity by a defined amount on the pH scale. The applied lime will ‘neutralise' a certain amount of the soil acidity, moving the soil pH nearer to neutral. The buffer pH is tested in a laboratory situation, for example using Modified Mehlich Buffer Test. Soil pH is different from the buffer pH, the former will indicate the acidity of a soil, whilst the buffer pH will determine the amount of lime needed to raise the soil pH up to the desired level.