Techniques for Speeding the Movement of Lime Into an Orchard Soil

Abstract

Many soils in orchards in southern British Columbia are acidic, especially those with sandy texture. Most orchards have vegetative ground cover. A field experiment was therefore undertaken on a sandy soil to determine the most effective method of getting lime into the rooting zone of fruit trees without damaging their roots. Applying lime on the grass surface at 3.6 t ha−1 was as effective in reducing soil acidity of the 0- to 25-cm horizon as incorporating lime into the soil. Calcium hydroxide, calcite and dolomite were all equally effective in raising soil pH. Doubling the liming rate greatly increased the downward neutralization of soil acidity and movement of Ca and Mg. The pH was raised by about 1 unit throughout the profile by the higher rate of Ca(OH)2, (7.2 t ha−1). Ammonium sulphate detracted from the benefits of liming, with the 200 kg N ha−1 rate causing a significant depression in pH at the 0- to 20-cm depth. Ammonium nitrate had a smaller adverse effect. Hence, neutralization of soil acidity in the upper rooting zone of fruit trees can be accomplished in only a few years by applying high rates of lime on the grass surface and by using the lesser acidifying N fertilizers. Key words: Liming materials, application methods, N fertilizer

Acidification From Long-Term Use Of Urea And Its Effect On Selected Soil Properties

“…Urea is least suspected to cause soil acidity compared to the more familiar acid-forming ammonium fertilizers such as Ammonium Sulphate [6,7]. As a result, lime is seldom recommended when urea is used, more especially among the small scale farmers.…”

“…A review of data from the Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI) national soil advisory laboratories has revealed that the problem is widespread and increasing on intensively cultivated lands. Ammonium-based fertilizers such as ammonium sulphate, ammonium nitrate and urea cause soil acidity [6,7]. In these studies, urea was reported to be of much less concern than the ammonium sulphate and ammonium nitrate sources of N, and therefore lime use is seldom recommended, at least in the short term.…”

Performance assessment of nanoparticulate lime to accelerate the downward movement of calcium in acid soil

“…As they had been indicated by numerous researches, the downward movement of Ca from CL through the soil is extremely slow (Caires et al., ; Edwards et al., ; Ernani et al., ; Hoyt & Drought, ; Kisinyo et al., ; Ponette et al., ). Thus, as would be expected from its finer particle size, NL appears to be more effective than CL in the short term.…”

“…Most soil reactions that follow CL addition, such as the increase in soil pH and decrease in exchangeable Al, are normally restricted to no more than a few centimetres below the liming depth, indicating that the downward movement of Ca from CL through the soil is extremely slow (Farina, Channon, & Thibaud, ). Many reports support that opinion, finding that the vertical distance that Ca moves depends mainly on the reactivity of lime, which is generally limited by its dissolution and distribution in the soil, which in turn depend on time, application rate, form (particle size) and application method, as well as on cultivation system, soil characteristics, climate conditions and the addition of acid fertilizers (Caires, Alleoni, Cambri, & Barth, ; Cifu, Xiaonan, Zhihong, Zhengyi, & Wanzhu, ; Edwards, Duncan, Harris, & Burgess, ; Elephant, Miles, & Mthimkhulu, ; Ernani, Ribeiro, & Bayer, ; Farina et al., ; Hoyt & Drought, ; Kisinyo et al., ; Liu & Hue, ; Miyazawa, Pavan, & Franchini, ; Ponette, Dufey, & Weissen, ; Sumner, ; Vázquez, Terminiello, Millán, Daverede, & Baridón, ; Vizcayno, Garcia‐Gonzalez, Fernandez‐Marcote, & Santano, ; Whitten, Wong, & Rate, ).…”