Abstract
U.S. farmers applied 32.9 million tons of agricultural limestone in 1979 at a cost of roughly $380 million (USDA, tables 650, 662). Although lime is sometimes used to supply calcium or magnesium, its principal use is to neutralize soil acidity (Adams and Pearson, p. 178). When most crops were grown in rotations, legumes supplied much of the nitrogen for other crops. Soil-test recommendations aimed at soil pH values of at least 6.5 to accommodate the legumes. Legumes as a source of nitrogen have now been largely replaced by commercial fertilizers, however. Lime rates need to be reevaluated because many nonlegumes thrive at pH values below 6.5.
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