The economics of liming in arable crop rotations: analysis of the 35‐year Rothamsted and Woburn liming experiments

Abstract

Liming is a common management solution for acidic soils. The addition of limestone is a simple and long-established practice which improves soil fertility. Soil acidification is a major global form of soil degradation (FAO, 2015). Indeed, acidic soils cause several environmental problems such as increased NO − 3 leaching and heavy metals such as Al 3+ (Conyers et al., 1991). Therefore, agricultural potential is greatly reduced by acidic soils. For crop production, soil acidity is a threat to both profitability and sustainability. The correction of soil acidity through the application of lime as a means of soil management has major economic implications and this interaction is the main concern of this study.With regard to liming in the UK, there are two important issues to consider: (a) the area of acidic soils and (b) the amount of lime applied. Recent survey data in the UK indicate that 41% of arable soils have a soil pH (water) <6.5% and 57% of grassland soils have a pH < 6 (PAAG, 2019). Over the past 40 years, there has been a dramatic decrease in the production and the use of agricultural limestone. Since 2000 there was <2 m tonnes of limestone produced annually,

Agricultural lime value chain efficiency for reducing soil acidity in Ethiopia

“…Accordingly, the yield of wheat for ag-lime user farmers was 12.5% more than the wheat yield of non-users. Our finding is consistent with result of Holland and Behrendt (2020) who found a positive impact of lime treatment on wheat yield in the United Kingdom. Hijbeek et al.…”

Linking Legacies: Realising the Potential of the Rothamsted Long-Term Agricultural Experiments

“…Datasets for soil chemistry and yields were compiled and two papers investigating the effects of liming on yields and economic returns (Holland & Behrendt, 2020;Holland et al, 2019) published. The second paper on the economics of liming in arable crop rotations has since been reported on by Farmers Weekly (Clarke, 2021), demonstrating the applied agricultural interest in an experiment ended 25 years previously.…”

Potential of Industrial By-Products as Liming Materials and Digestate as Organic Fertilizer and Their Effect on Soil Properties and Yield of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)

“…Our results indicate wood ash and filter dust have the greatest benefits when observing soil pH increase and alfalfa yields. From an economic point of view, one of the bigger costs in the application of liming materials is the transportation to the fields [42]. With a growing number of small biomass power plants, there is an opportunity for wood ash to become more attractive as liming material, as with more powerplants there is less distance from the factory to the field.…”