Lime and gypsum combination improves crop and forage yields and estimated meat production and revenue in a variable charge tropical soil

Abstract

In tropical integrated crop-livestock under no-till (NT) systems, the surface application/reapplication of lime and/or gypsum can reduce re-acidification rate of the soil and improve plant nutrition, crop yields, and profitability. This study was conducted in the Brazilian Cerrado, which has dry winters, and aimed to evaluate the effects of surface application/ reapplication of lime and/or gypsum on soil improvement, plant nutrition and crop yield improvement, as well as the forage dry matter (DM) yield, estimated meat production, and economic results. The crop rotation used between November 2004 and August 2008 was as follows: peanut (Arachis hypogaea) and white oat (Avena sativa) cultivated alone (on the first and second spring/summer and autumn/winter, respectively) and corn (Zea mays) intercropped with palisade grass [Urochloa brizantha cv. 'Marandu'] and pasture (on the third and fourth spring/summer and autumn/winter, respectively). The experimental design was a randomized block with four replications. The treatments consisted of natural conditions of a sandy clay loam kaolinitic and thermic Typic Haplorthox (control) and the surface application of lime and/or gypsum in October 2002 and reapplication in November 2004. Surface liming was an efficient practice for increasing pH and reducing the exchangeable acidity (H ? Al) and concentration of Al extending to a depth of 0.60 m. Gypsum application increased Ca 2? levels through the soil profile. Liming (with or without gypsum) had a positive effect on the nutrient acquisition by peanut, white oat, and corn crops, producing on average 48%, 52%, and 61% more pod and grain yield, respectively, than that obtained in the absence of soil amendments and with gypsum

Potential benefits of liming to acid soils on climate change mitigation and food security

“…Figure S7). Based on FAOstats data (FAO, 2013), the average food demand per capita over the world is about 528 kg cereal and 133 kg meat (Crusciol et al, 2019) annually. Thus, our estimated liminginduced increment in crop and biomass production has the potential to feed nearly 876-1261 million people in the future (Table S5;…”

Soybean in Crop Rotation with Maize and Palisade Grass Intercropping Enhances the Long-term Effects of Surface Liming in No-till System

“…This antagonism between cations can be explained by the competition between cations for exchange sites. In general, polyvalent cations (such as Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ ) have a higher chemical affinity for negative sites than monovalent cations, such as K + , which means that monovalent ions are displaced and leach into the subsoil layers (Crusciol et al 2019). The high Ca 2+ availability due to lime in the intercropped system and cumulative effects of Mg 2+ and K + levels increased BS along the soil profile.…”

“…These soils cover about 16% of the global land surface (spread over 72 countries) and globally account for 50% of all arable soils (Rheinheimer et al 2018). The main characteristics of these soils are the low cation exchange capacity (CEC) and base saturation (BS), particularly in the deeper layers, and the high availability of toxic elements, such as exchangeable aluminum (Al 3+ ) and manganese (Mn) (Crusciol et al 2019). Soil acidification can occur due to the weathering of the parent material with low concentration of exchangeable bases (i.e., potassium (K + ), calcium (Ca 2+ ), and magnesium (Mg 2+ )) (von Uexküll and Mutert 1995), by leaching along the soil profile (Fageria and Baligar 2008) and, through poor agricultural practices associated with the excessive use of nitrogen fertilizers (Fageria and Nascente 2014;Li et al 2019).…”

Mudança No Uso E Ocupação Do Solo Na Bacia Hidrográfica Do Rio Uruçuí-Preto, Piauí.

“…A utilização do Ca e Mg se dá geralmente na forma de calcário, para aumentar o pH do solo (Troeh, 2007). A correção da acidez do solo pode, então, contribuir com o aumento da produtividade das pastagens, em virtude da melhoria das condições químicas do solo (Crusciol et al, 2019).…”