Soil and Crop Response to Wood Ash and Lime Application in Acidic Soils

Abstract

Wood ash has the properties to be an effective liming material, and research is needed to compare its effectiveness relative to agricultural lime on acidic agricultural soils. Wood ash at a calcium carbonate rate of 6.72 t ha−1 was compared with an equivalent rate of agricultural lime on a clay loam soil with an initial pH of 4.9. Replicated plots were managed under a barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)–canola (Brassica rapa L.)–pea (Pisum sativum L.) rotation for 4 yr (2002–2005). Soil pH increased in the order of: wood ash = lime > control (without lime or wood ash). Available soil P increased in the order of: wood ash > lime ≥ control. The effect of wood ash and lime application on pH and available P was greatest in the 0‐ to 5‐cm depth, less but still significant in the 5‐ to 10‐cm depth, and not significant below 10 cm. The effect on soil aggregation was: wood ash > lime > control. Averaged over 4 yr, application of wood ash increased grain yields of barley, canola, and pea by 49, 59, and 55%, respectively, compared to a corresponding increase of 38, 31, and 49% by agricultural lime. The increase in crop yield with wood ash compared with lime is attributed partly to increased P availability in wood ash‐amended plots. It is concluded that wood ash applied at rates equivalent to agricultural lime improved some soil chemical and physical properties and increased crop production relative to agricultural lime.

The Impacts of Applying Metal(loid) Enriched Wood Ash to Soils on the Growth and Elemental Accumulation of Rice

“…Wood ash, the solid by-product of wood incineration, has several proven beneficial effects on soils, such as an increase in soil pH and added nutrient value (Bougnom et al 2009(Bougnom et al , 2012Klemedtsson et al 2010;Pérez-Cruzado et al 2010;Arshad et al 2012;Saarsalmi et al 2012;Podmirseg et al 2013). This has been shown, in some cases, to lead to improved crop productivity (Pérez-Cruzado et al 2010;Bougnom et al 2012;Materechera 2012;Moilanen et al 2012;Saarsalmi et al 2012).…”

Wood Ash Improved Soil Properties and Crop Yield for Nine Years and Saved Fertilizer

“…In western Canada, forage yield was higher with wood ash than with lime plus P fertilizer (Lickacz, 2002); lime and wood ash increased microbial biomass and C mineralization, and changed the functional structure of bacterial communities (Lupwayi, Arshad, Azooz, & Soon, 2009); and the increases were wood ash = lime for soil pH, and wood ash > lime for the available P, aggregation of soil and yield of barley, canola and field pea (Arshad, Soon, Azooz, Lupwayi, & Chang, 2012). Greater increase in crop yield with wood ash compared with lime in these studies was attributed to a more rapid change in soil pH, and increased P availability.…”

“…For example, Lickacz (2002) stated that the range of percent calcium carbonate equivalent (%CCE) of wood ash is generally 55 to 65 with some facilities up to 100%. Wood ash used by Erich & Ohno (1992) contained 12.1 g kg -1 total P, 18 g kg -1 total K, and 10.7 g kg -1 total Mg; and wood ash used by Arshad et al (2012) had 0.26 g NO 3 -N kg -1 and 0.93 g P kg -1 . A review by Vance (1996) showed a wide range of macronutrient (P, K, Ca, Mg, N) and micronutrient (Mn, Cu, Zn, B, Mo) concentrations in wood ash from different sources; e.g., the P concentration in 24 samples ranged from 0.3 to 14.4 g P kg -1 with a median value of 4.2 g P kg -1 .…”

“…In northern Europe, wood ash has been extensively used to improve forest productivity (Vance, 1996;Demeyer et al, 2001;Pitman, 2006). On an acid agricultural soil in northwest Alberta, lime and wood ash increased microbial biomass and C mineralization as well as changed the functional structure of bacterial communities (Lupwayi, Arshad, Azooz, & Soon, 2009); and the soil pH increase was in the order: wood ash = lime, while the order for available P and aggregation of soil was wood ash > lime (Arshad et al, 2012). In central Canada, wood ash increased pH, Ca, Mg, K and P but had little effect on microbial activity and biomass of a Brunisol and a Luvisol in an incubation study (Pugliese et al, 2014); and the liming products that significantly raised the soil pH also increased Ca, P and K concentrations in a 3 year field study (Lalande, Gagnon, & Riyer, 2009).…”

“…The increase in 2006 pea yield from all other treatments over the CHK was significant, which was 1. yield results indicated that absence of P fertilization in the ASH+N treatment did not have a negative effect and rather wood ash application provided extra benefits over the P fertilization. Probably, the crops benefited from the combined effects of other essential plant nutrients present in wood ash as well as increase in pH, microbial biomass and improvement in the soil tilth (Arshad et al, 2012;Lupwayi et al, 2009). Note.…”