Crownvetch Seedling Growth on an Acid Soil as Influenced by Soil Preparation and Lime Placement1

Abstract

AbstractThe experiment reported here was conducted to compare. the effect of disturbed and undisturbed soil and of lime placement under both soil conditions on seedling growth of crownvetch. The results are applicable to crownvetch establishment for roadbank stabilization. Crownvetch seedlings were grown from seed on disturbed and undisturbed Wartrace silty clay loam soil core samples (pH 4.6) taken from a simulated roadcut. Lime at a rate of 13.45 metric tons/ha was added to the top 0.5 cm of undisturbed core samples of bulk density 1.494, or mixed throughout disturbed and screened soil of bulk density 1.267.Disturbed soil without lime, disturbed soil with lime mixed throughout, or disturbed soil with surface‐applied lime resulted in increased top and root growth over that in undisturbed soil. Top growth was significantly increased when lime was mixed throughout the disturbed core sample over that when lhne was added at the surface of the disturbed soil. There was no difference in root growth between these two treatments, but both were significantly higher than the other treatments. Disturbed soil without lime gave as much growth as when lime was surface‐applied on undisturbed cores, but there was an absence of nodules on all treatments where lime was not applied.