Comparative study of selected lime requirement methods for some acid Ghanaian soils

Abstract

The acid soils of the western region of Ghana which hitherto have been relegated to forest and tree crops production are becoming increasingly important for agricultural food crop production in the country. However, on account of their strongly acidic properties, there is the need to apply agricultural lime to the soils to improve upon their productivity. At present, however, information on the lime requirement and appropriate liming practice for these soils is lacking. The objective of this study was to compare the suitability of selected chemical methods for the determination of the lime requirement to predict lime needs of these naturally occurring acid soils. The lime requirement of six acid soils were determined by calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)₂] titration, exchangeable aluminum (Al), and Shoemaker, McLean, and Pratt (SMP) buffer methods. Correlation analysis showed that all the methods were highly correlated with one another. The SMP method was found to be somewhat better than either exchangeable Al or Ca(OH)₂ titration method for estimating the lime requirement of the soils. Hence, the SMP method is recommended for use as the diagnostic index of lime requirement of these soils because of its speed and simplicity. Regression studies on the lime requirement values by the three methods and selected soil properties showed that exchangeable Al and organic carbon were the most important soil factors contributing to the lime requirement of these soils. Clay content was significantly correlated only with the Ca(OH)₂‐based lime requirement values (r = 0.81*).     

Nature of Soil Acidity in Relation to Properties and Lime Requirement of Some Inceptisols

Some Inceptisols representing the Singla catchment area in Karimgaunge district of Assam, India, were studied for lime requirement as influenced by the nature of soil acidity. The electrostatically bonded (EB)-H+ and EB-Al3+ acidities constituted 33 and 67 percent of exchangeable acidity while EB-H+, EB-Al3+,exchangeable and pH-dependent acidities comprised 6, 14, 20 and 80 percent of total potential acidity. The pH-dependent acidity made a major contribution towards the total potential acidity (67%～84%). Grand mean of lime requirement determined by the laboratory incubation method and estimated by the methods of New Woodruff, Woodruff and Peech as expressed in MgCaCO3 ha-1 was in the order: Woodruff (15.6) ＞ New Woodruff (14.9) ＞ Peech (5.1) ＞ incubation (5.0). Correlations analysis among different forms of acidity and lime requirement methods with selected soil properties showed that pH in three media, namely water, 1 mol L-1 KCl and 0.01 mol L-1 CaCl2, had a significant negative correlation with different forms of acidity and lime requirement methods. Exchangeable Fe and Al showed significant positive correlations with EB-Al3+ acidity, exchangeable acidity, pH-dependent acidity and total potential acidity, and also lime requirement methods. Extractable Al showed positive correlations with different forms of acidity except EB-H+ and EB-Al3+ acidities. The lime requirement by different methods depended upon the extractable aluminium.Significant positive correlations existed between lime requirements and different forms of acidity of the soils except EB-H+ acidity and incubation method. The nature of soil acidity was mostly pH-dependent. Statistically, the Woodruff method did slightly better than the New Woodruff, incubation and Peech methods at estimating lime requirement and hence the Woodruff procedure may be recommended for routine soil testing because of its speed and simplicity.     

Soil acidification and the importance of liming agricultural soils with particular reference to the United Kingdom

Soil acidification is caused by a number of factors including acidic precipitation and the deposition from the atmosphere of acidifying gases or particles, such as sulphur dioxide, ammonia and nitric acid. The most important causes of soil acidification on agricultural land, however, are the application of ammonium‐based fertilizers and urea, elemental S fertilizer and the growth of legumes. Acidification causes the loss of base cations, an increase in aluminium saturation and a decline in crop yields; severe acidification can cause nonreversible clay mineral dissolution and a reduction in cation exchange capacity, accompanied by structural deterioration. Soil acidity is ameliorated by applying lime or other acid‐neutralizing materials. ‘Liming’ also reduces N₂O emissions, but this is more than offset by CO₂ emissions from the lime as it neutralizes acidity. Because crop plants vary in their tolerance to acidity and plant nutrients have different optimal pH ranges, target soil pH values in the UK are set at 6.5 (5.8 in peaty soils) for cropped land and 6.0 (5.3 in peaty soils) for grassland. Agricultural lime products can be sold as ‘EC Fertiliser Liming Materials’ but, although vital for soil quality and agricultural production, liming tends to be strongly influenced by the economics of farming. Consequently, much less lime is being applied in the UK than required, and many arable and grassland soils are below optimum pH.     

Evaluation of Four Buffer Solutions for Determining the Lime Requirement for Ohio Soils

Lime is used as a soil amendment to achieve the optimum pH suitable for good crop growth. Buffer pH (BpH) measurements have been calibrated to relate the linear drop in pH of the soil–buffer system to the amount of lime needed to neutralize soil to a certain pH level. The amount of lime required to neutralize soil acidity, called the lime requirement (LR), is obtained from soil–limestone (CaCO₃) incubations. In this study, 13 soils from Ohio were incubated with CaCO₃ for a period of 1 month to determine the LR to achieve different target pHs. This LR was then regressed with the different BpHs of four buffer solutions [(1) Shoemaker, McLean, and Pratt (SMP), (2) Sikora, (3) Mehlich, and (4) modified Mehlich] to obtain calibration equations. The Sikora and modified Mehlich buffers are variations of the SMP and Mehlich buffers, respectively, but they are designed to promote buffering without use of any hazardous constituents [i.e., chromium(VI) in SMP buffer and barium in the Mehlich buffer]. This study was done to verify the applicability of the buffers that do not contain any hazardous constituents and to calibrate these buffers for predicting lime requirement needs for Ohio soils. Comparing the calibrated equations of the SMP and Sikora buffers with CaCO₃‐incubation LR recommendations revealed that the SMP and Sikora buffer solutions were not significantly different, and a single calibrated equation can be used for these two buffers to determine LR predictions in Ohio. The Mehlich and modified Mehlich calibration equations differed significantly from the SMP calibration equations and were not as highly correlated with CaCO₃‐incubation LR recommendations using a linear model (r² < 0.54). Thus, it is possible to use the Mehlich and modified Mehlich for determining lime recommendations, but they require a correction factor such as inclusion of the initial soil pH to improve the precision of the LR prediction. We also found the various buffers tested in this study were better able to predict LR rates for greater LR soils than low LR soils. In conclusion, successful laboratory tests to predict LR for Ohio soils are possible using alternative buffers that do not contain hazardous constituents.     

A comparison of soil liming requirement methodologies in temperate,Northern European pedo-climates

Background

Liming agricultural land is essential to optimise crop yield and soil nutrients. Despite the importance of pH management in agricultural soils, liming applications have been decreasing in the United Kingdom for decades. There is no comparison of contemporary and historical liming requirement (LR) methods for Northern European, temperate climate mineral soils high in organic matter (OM).

Aims

The aims of this research were to thoroughly comparatively analyse current methodologies and to ascertain which soil characteristics contribute to LR reactions.

Methods

Analysis compared methods for determining liming values common in the United Kingdom (Scottish Agricultural College [SAC] look-up chart, RothLime model), Europe and the United States (Shoemaker–McLean–Pratt, Sikora, Modified Mehlich buffers), and the 30-min calcium hydroxide titration developed by the University of Georgia.

Results

RothLime and SAC highly underestimated the LR value in acidic soils. The buffers highly over or underestimated LRs. The UGA titration method is a cheap, easy and accurate method which could be utilised for high OM soils but requires further calculation development. The characteristics most associated with soil–lime reactions in this experiment were measures of exchangeability (cation exchange capacity and loss on ignition, and by proxy, lime buffering capacity).

Conclusions

There is an opportunity to create buffer calculators and titration equations adapted to high OM soils. These are suggested for further development, through a larger diversity of UK soil types grouped by buffering capacity ranges. Including soil exchangeability factors in lime management calculations may contribute to more accurate values and therefore better resource management. Increasing LR accuracy for site-specific soil pH management, used in precision agriculture technologies, is a necessary tool for the conservation of natural resources like limestone, managing resource use efficiency, and for optimising yields.     

Addition of lignin to lime materials for expedited pH increase and improved vertical mobility of lime in no‐till soils

Soil acidification caused by long‐term nitrogen (N) fertilizer applications has been a growing concern for dryland crop production in both tilled and no‐till soils in the Pacific Northwest (PNW). Many no‐till soils have stratified soil pH in the 5–10 cm depth due to repeated N fertilizer applications at this depth. In the PNW, the practice of liming to correct low soil pH is complicated due to lack of affordable lime sources and because the inherent difficulty in ameliorating stratified soil acidity in no‐till systems. An intact soil‐column incubation study was conducted to investigate whether mixing lime materials with lignin‐containing black liquor—a by‐product from the pulp industry—could elevate soil pH change in both conventional and no‐till systems and expedite vertical downward movement of lime in no‐till system. Results indicate that mixing lime with black liquor has the potential to not only elevate the increase in soil pH in both conventional till and no‐till systems, but also accelerate downward movement of lime to correct soil pH below the soil surface. Mixing agricultural lime or super fine micro lime with black liquor increased soil pH to a depth of 25–30 cm within 147 days after surface application to a no‐till soil.     

Evaluation of lime requirement methods for Delaware soils

Abstract

Rapid, accurate identification of the lime required to attain a desired pH is essential for the coarse‐textured soils of the Atlantic coastal plain to avoid micronutrient deficiencies (Mn, Zn) in sensitive crops and to insure herbicide efficacy. The University of Delaware Soil Testing laboratory is one of only seven of the 25 states in the Northeastern and Southern regions that does not use a buffer solution to make lime requirement determinations. The present method bases lime recommendations on soil pH in water, combined with an estimate of buffering capacity obtained by hand texturing soils. This approach is time‐consuming and includes the potential for considerable operator variability in obtaining the textural estimate. A study was initiated to compare four buffer solutions (Adams‐Evans, Mehlich, SMP‐single buffer, SMP‐double buffer) with the current approach and the actual lime requirement as determined by incubation of 19 Delaware soils with six rates of CaCO₃ for six months. Soil pH effects on Mn and Zn availability were determined by extraction of all samples from the incubation study with the Mehlich I (.05M HCl + .0125M H₂SO4) soil testing solution. Results indicated that organic matter was the primary soil component responsible for pH buffering in Delaware soils, and that the Adams‐Evans or Mehlich buffers were the best predictors of actual lime requirement. The appropriate target pH range for the coarse‐textured soils of Delaware, based on Mn and Zn availability, was determined to be 5.5–6.0. Liming soils to pH values greater than 6.0 is, for most crops, unnecessary and will reduce Mn availability below critical levels for sensitive crops such as soybeans and small grains.     

Effect of calcium carbonate as determined by lime requirement buffer pH methods on soil characteristics and yield of sorghum plants

Abstract

A primary limit to crop production in extended regions of northern Greece is the infertility of acid soils, especially nutrient element unavailability or toxicity. An experiment was conducted to determine under greenhouse conditions which buffer pH method selected in a previous laboratory experiment is best suited to predict the lime requirement (LR) of acid soils which is most appropriate in relation to plant growth and nutrient element uptake of sorghum plants. The lime needs of three naturally occurring acid soils were estimated by three methods: Adams‐Evans (AE), Shoemaker‐McLean‐Pratt single buffer (SMP‐SB), New Woodruff (NWOOD), and the calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)₂] equilibration procedure. Two greenhouse experiments were conducted: (i) Experiment I during the 1996 season with ORESTIAS a sandy loam soil, and (ii) Experiment II during 1997 and 1998 season with XANTHI a loam sandy soil and DRAMA a sandy clay loam soil, respectively. The following results were obtained. Differences were noticed between the soils as well as within the LR methods. The ORESTIAS soil needed 63% more calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) than the XANTHI soil and 70% more than DRAMA soil to achieve the target pH. Among the three LR methods, results showed that in two of the three soils the highest LRs were determined by the NWOOD and the lowest by the Ca(OH)₂ methods. After six weeks of incubation, no one method gave exactly the needed amounts of CaCO to achieve the target pH, the estimated amounts being mostly higher than tiiat needed except for the DRAMA soil. Among the methods, in general the SMP‐SB method predicted lime rates that raised the soil pH nearest to the target pH and the NWOOD soil seemed to be the more consistent for the three soils. The smallest LRs were predicted by the Ca(OH) method. Based upon plant production and nitrogen (N) uptake in the 1996 season, the shoot yields were significantly higher using the SMP‐SB method and lower with the NWOOD method. Similar results were obtained for the XANTHI and DRAMA soils during the 1997 season. On the contrary in the 1998 season (2nd experimental year), the highest yields were obtained with the NWOOD buffer method. For the 1996 and 1997 seasons, tissue N concentrations were partly significantly higher using the SMP‐SB method. In the 1998 vegetation period, the N concentrations were low and the control plants had significantly higher N contents.     

A comparison of lime requirements by five methods on grassland mineral soils in Ireland

Liming is necessary for good nutrient availability and crop growth. Lime use in Ireland is now the lowest in half a century. A recent study shows that grassland mineral soils in Ireland has a mean pH of 5.4 and mean lime requirement (LR) of 9.3 t/ha ground limestone. There have been a number of studies in the USA to re-evaluate LR, but little activity in the European Union (EU) in recent years. The primary aim of our research was to compare five methods for estimating LR, which included the Shoemaker–McLean–Pratt (SMP) buffer method currently used in Ireland (IRL), the Sikora buffer method used at the University of Kentucky (UKY), Ca(OH)₂ titration used at University of Georgia (UGA), the modified Mehlich buffer method used at Penn State University (PSU) and the UK RothLime model, using 57 representative grassland mineral soils from Ireland with a pH range from 4.8 to 6.6. The secondary aim was to explore an alternative to the SMP buffer that does not involve the use of toxic chemicals. The results show good agreement between the pH measured by the Irish and three US laboratories and reasonably good agreement in LR estimated by five methods. The main conclusions are: (1) a significant proportion of grassland on mineral soils in Ireland would benefit from liming to increase soil pH, (2) on average, LRs as recommended in Ireland are higher than those advised elsewhere , ( 3) the target pH in Ireland is high compared with that in other countries and should be reduced from pH 6.5 to 6.2, (4) the SMP buffer method should be replaced by a suitable alternative and, in principle, any of the four methods studied would be suitable, (5) to find the most suitable alternative for accurate LR advice it would be necessary to compare the different methods to the actual LR from incubation of representative soils with calcium hydroxide.     

A rapid method for predicting the lime requirement of acidic temperate soils with widely varying organic matter contents. I. Development of the lime requirement model

A model to describe the shapes of soil pH-CaCO₃ neutralization curves is presented. The model can be used to predict lime requirement in soils with widely varying organic matter contents. Parameters of the model are predicted from the easily measured soil properties of sample density and initial pH. The results suggest that soil titratable acidity is primarily related to soil organic matter content, and that soil organic matter content may be predicted from measurements of soil sample density. The proposed method for predicting lime requirement should be superior to other established quick-test methods for routine soil testing both in terms of speed and versatility.     

Amelioration strategies for saline soils: a review

Soil salinization is one of the major causes of declining agricultural productivity in many arid and semiarid regions of the world. Excessive salt concentrations in soils, in most cases, cannot be reduced with time by routine irrigation and crop management practices. Such situations demand soil amelioration. Various means used to ameliorate saline soils include: (a) movement of excess soluble salts from upper to lower soil depths via leaching, which may be accomplished by continuous ponding, intermittent ponding, or sprinkling; (b) surface flushing of salts from soils that contain salt crusts at the surface, a shallow watertable, or a highly impermeable profile; (c) biological reduction of salts by harvest of high‐salt accumulating aerial plant parts, in areas with negligible irrigation water or rainfall available for leaching; and (d) amelioration of saline soils under cropping and leaching. Among these methods, cropping in conjunction with leaching has been found as the most successful and sustainable way to ameliorate saline soils. Cropping during leaching or between leachings causes an increase in salt‐leaching efficiency because a decrease in soil water content occurs under unsaturated water flow conditions with a concurrent decrease in large pore bypass and drainage volume. Consequently, anaerobic conditions in soil may occur during leaching that can affect crop growth. Thus, in addition to the existing salt‐tolerant crop genotypes, research is needed to seek out or develop genotypes with increased tolerances to salinity and hypoxia. Since salt leaching is interacted by many factors, evaluation of the traditional concepts such as the leaching requirement (LR), the leaching fraction (LF) and the salt balance index (SBI) demands incorporation of a rapid, efficient and economical way of monitoring changes in soil salinity during amelioration. Besides this, numerous models that have been developed for simulating movement and reactions of salts in soils need evaluation under actual field conditions. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reactive aluminum in the vermont soil test

Abstract

Determination of Reactive Al by extracting a soil sample with pH 4.8 NH₄ OAc (1.25 N acetate) characterizes for northern acid soils the quantity of soil acidity that must be neutralized to meet lime need and also lower the P adsorbing capacity. Extracted Al is used in conjunction with pH in 10 mM CaCl₂ to calculate the lime requirement directly. First, the amount of P fertilizer needed is approximated, based on the P intensity (Available P) determined in the same NH₄ OAc extract. Then the recommended amount is increased by a P‐fixation factor obtained from the Reactive Al measured, and decreased by a Reserve P factor derived from fluoride extractable P.

Unlike a buffer lime requirement method, which predicts lime needed to reach a target pH, the Reactive Al test estimates the quantity of acidity that must be neutralized to prevent fixation of P fertilizer by soil Al and to release P from Al‐bound sources. Attaining a particular target pH is not the primary goal. The Reserve P test measures the amount of unavailable Al phosphates that becomes partially available when lime needs are met.     

A Modification to the Adams‐Evans Soil Buffer Determination Solution

Abstract

Many soil analysis labs routinely determine lime requirement of acidic soils using different buffer solutions for optimum plant growth. The Adams‐Evans lime determination solution was introduced more than 40 years ago and has been used by many soil analysis labs. Even though many buffer solutions have been developed since then, very little attention has been paid to address the toxic nature of chemicals involved in buffer solutions. The most commonly used buffer solutions, such as the Adams-Evans, Shoemaker‐McLean‐Pratt (SMP), Woodruff, and others, contain p‐nitrophenol, which is toxic to humans and the environment. Use of p‐nitrophenol requires prescribed containment and disposal procedures, that creates extra burden on soil analysis labs that provide their invaluable service at low cost. Replacing p‐nitrophenol with monobasic potassium phosphate (KH₂PO₄), which has similar buffering capacity but with no known toxicity, is beneficial to soil testing labs and the environment. The original Adams‐Evans buffer solution was compared with the modified Adams‐Evans buffer solution with soils of different pH, cation exchange capacity and lime requirement. The linear regression between the buffer pH values and lime recommendations made by Adams‐Evans and the modified Adams‐Evans solutions were highly significant. Thus, the modified Adams‐Evans buffer solution can be used without loss of established recommendation criteria as the original buffer solution.     

New buffer pH method for rapid estimation of exchangeable acidity and lime requirement of soils

Abstract

A new buffer pH method (BpH) for the rapid estimation of unbuffered salt‐exchangeable acidity (ACe) and lime requirement (LR) has been developed. The buffer reagent, consisting of sodium glycerophosphate, acetic acid, trletlianolamine, ammonium chloride and barium chloride, was useful within the pH range 3.8 to 6.6. Delta values from BpH were converted into buffer pH acidity values (AC) and calibrated against ACe of 91 mineral soils and 100 acid Histosols. The correlation coefficients between AC and ACe were 0.966 and 0.956 for the mineral soils and Histosols, respectively. The corresponding regression equations in terms of meq/100 cm were ACe ‐ ‐0.54 + 0.96 AC and ACe = ‐7.4 + 1.6 AC for mineral soils and Histosols, respectively.

To predict lime requirement of mineral soils a curvilinear equation was required. The equation, LR in meq CaCO₃/100 cm³ = 0.1 (AC)² + AC, was tested successfully against rates of lime carried out under laboratory conditions and against crop response in the greenhouse. Field studies on acid Histosols with maize and soybeans showed optimum yield when the rate of lime added was approximately equivalent to ACe.     

兰州地区农田土壤速效磷与速效钾含量的变化特征

以兰州地区3县5区不同利用方式农田为研究对象,从作物种类、土地利用强度和耕作方式3个角度采集80个样点表层土壤样品(0—20cm),对其pH值、电导率、速效磷和速效钾进行了分析。结果表明:(1)兰州地区农田土壤pH值为8.59,蔬菜地pH值低于其它作物农田,但差异不显著。重度利用农田土壤pH值低于轻度和中度农田,日光温室农田pH值低于大田和砂田,但差异不显著。(2)土壤电导率具有较大的变异,变异系数高达107.31%,不同作物种类、利用强度及耕作方式下土壤电导率不具有显著差异性。(3)研究区土壤速效钾含量具有一致性,平均含量为362.65mg/kg,变异系数为48.81%,不同作物种类、不同土地利用强度和耕作方式土壤速效钾不具有显著差异性。(4)速效磷平均含量为14.07mg/kg,不同种类作物农田土壤中,蔬菜地速效磷高于其它种类作物;不同利用强度下,重度利用农田土壤速效磷高于中度和轻度农田;从耕作措施分析,日光温室农田土壤速效磷显著大于砂田和大田。研究表明,基于作物种类差异的不同土地利用方式及耕作措施对土壤酸碱性及速效磷含量具有不同程度的影响,集约型农业管理措施是导致速效磷含量增加的主要原因之一,且重度农田土壤有酸化的趋势。     

Efficiency of Commercial Agricultural-Grade Limestone

The University of Georgia (GA) lime recommendation equation includes a multiplier of 1.5 to account for agricultural (ag) lime that is less reactive than reagent-grade calcium carbonate (CaCO₃). Research has not been conducted with ag lime to arrive at this multiplier with GA soils typical of the coastal plain or with ag limes available in GA. These ag limes may differ in their reactivity from others tested previously. The efficiency of five dolomitic ag limes were compared to reagent-grade CaCO₃ on two GA soils with different pH-buffering capacities. Reactions other than acid neutralization by lime affected pH, especially in the soil with low pH-buffering capacity. Results from the soil with high pH-buffering capacity yielded multipliers of 1.17, 1.16, 1.48, 1.34, and 1.73 for ag limes 1 through 5, respectively, with an average multiplier of 1.38. Based on these results, continued use of a multiplier of 1.5 is appropriate.     

Principles underlying the practice of determining lime requirements of acid soils by use of buffer methods

Abstract

A buffer is generally a mixture of a weak acid and a salt of the same weak acid. Hence it can neutralize both acids and bases, and thus resists marked changes in pH of a system. Yet systematic change in pH of a buffer caused by addition of an acidic substance can be used to indicate the total acidity represented by the change in buffer pH. Since acid soil is itself a buffer, when it is added to a buffer mixture for the purpose of measuring its acidity or lime requirement (LR), the resulting double‐buffer suspension (soil‐buffer) is a relatively complex system. Much of the complication in interpreting the changes in buffer pH brought about by mixing soil and buffer stems from the facts: i) that much of the acidity is pH‐dependent, and ii) that quick‐test methodology involves reaction of only a fraction of the total soil acidity with the buffer. Marked change in relative amounts of H ions dissociating from the soil‐SMP‐buffer system at soil‐buffer pH 6.9 and above accounts for relatively wide variations between buffer‐indicated and CaCO₃ incubation‐measured LR of low LR soils. Similarly, decreased reactivity of H⁺ in high organic matter soils and increased reactivity of H in acid‐leached soils cause errors in buffer‐indicated LR. Awareness of these principles helps avoid pitfalls of existing buffer methods, and has led to incorporation of the double‐buffer feature for improving the SMP method.     

Comparison of EDTA and ammonium Bicarbonate-DTPA for the extraction of phosphorus in calcareous soils from Kerman,Iran

Developing a fast and reliable soil testing method is critical for improving soil testing efficiency and ensuring reliable fertilizer recommendation. The objectives of this study were to evaluate sodium ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid (Na₂-EDTA) as a replacement for ammonium bicarbonate-diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid (AB-DTPA) to extract phosphorus (P) to determinate the relationships between extractable P and its uptake by crop in calcareous soils. Na₂-EDTA and AB-DTPA was compared by the amounts of extracted P by analyzing soil samples collected from agricultural production areas. There were significant correlations between Na₂-EDTA and AB-DTPA for soil test P based on soils collected from the agricultural field. Soil test P by both extractants was significantly correlated with plant P concentration. Na₂-EDTA was identified as an alternate improved extraction method instead of AB-DTPA in calcareous soils based on this study. However, more work will be needed to identify the correlation of the two extractants and crop responses under a field condition.     

Direct experimental evidence for the contribution of lime to CO2 release from managed peat soil

Liming is a common management practice used to achieve optimum pH for plant growth in agricultural soils. Addition of lime to the soil, however, may cause CO₂ release when the carbonates in lime dissolve in water. Although lime may thereby constitute a significant carbon source, especially under acidic soil conditions, experimental data on the CO₂ release are lacking so far. We conducted a split-plot experiment within a cut-away peatland cultivated with a bioenergy crop (reed canary grass, Phalaris arundinacea L.) with lime and fertilizer treatments to determine effects of lime on the CO₂ emissions from soil and to better understand mechanisms underlying liming effects. Carbon dioxide release was measured over two growing seasons in the field after liming, and complementary laboratory studies were conducted. To differentiate CO₂ derived from lime and biotic respiration the δ¹³C of CO₂ released was determined and the two-pool mixing model was applied. The results showed that lime may contribute significantly to CO₂ release from the soil. In the laboratory, more than 50% of CO₂ release was attributable to lime-carbonates during short-term incubation. Lime-derived CO₂ emissions were much lower in the field, and were only detected during the first (2–4) months after the application. However, a maximum of 12% of monthly CO₂ emissions from the cultivated peatland originated from the lime. Biotic respiration rates were similar in limed and unlimed soils, suggesting that higher pH did not, at least in the short-term, increase carbon losses from cultivated peat soils. Additional fertilization and acidification did not contribute to further CO₂ release from the lime. According to our first estimations about one sixth of the lime applied would be released as CO₂ from the managed peatland, with all lime-derived emissions occurring during the first year of application (equivalent to about 4.6% of the total annual CO₂ losses from the soil in the first year). This suggests that the mass-balance approach as proposed by the IPCC Tier 1 methodology, which assumes that all carbon in lime ends up as CO₂ in the atmosphere, overestimates the emissions from lime. Our study further shows that there is a great risk to overestimate heterotrophic microbial activity in limed soils by measuring the CO₂ release without separating abiotic and biotic CO₂ production.     

Improved SMP buffer method for determining lime requirements of acid soils

Abstract

Single buffer‐two pH and two‐buffer adaptations were compared as double buffer features of the SMP method using a group of 54 soils of wide range in lime requirement (LR). Data from both methods were highly correlated both with each other and with Ca(OH)₂‐titrated acidity.

Formulas for LR based on the schematics of similar triangles relating differences in measured pH vs corresponding acidities for the double buffer system were developed. A regression equation relating buffer‐indicated LR and Ca(OH)₂ titrated acidity was used to adjust the quick‐test double buffer‐indicated values to levels nearer the actual ones. A recommended SMP double buffer procedure, and a formula for computing LR from soil‐buffer pH's measured by the double buffer, quick‐test method are presented.