Soil acidification without pH drop under intensive cropping systems in Northeast Thailand

Abstract

Abstract Light textured sandy soils occupy significant areas of Northeast Thailand and are characterized as being acidic to depth with a low inherent fertility. These soils form the basis of agricultural production systems on which significant numbers of people depend upon for livelihoods. The objectives of this study were to investigate soil acidification following the introduction of Stylosanthes in cropping systems of a tropical semi-arid region. Most soils in Northeast Thailand are sandy and acidic (pH 4.0 in CaCl2), with high rate of drainage. Soil acidification was studied over a 6-year period on plots that had been treated either with or without lime additions under different cropping patterns. In the initial first 3 years, a rotation of maize and cowpea was compared to a bare soil treatment where no vegetation was allowed to establish. During the following 3 years, a rotation of maize and Stylosanthes was compared to a continuous Stylosanthes hamata (stylo) treatment. Total soil acidification was calculated from measured pH changes and pH buffer capacity. Acidification due to root system activity was estimated from the above ground biomass production and its ash alkalinity. In the limed systems, soil pH decrease was well correlated with the ash alkalinity of the crop and its removal from the plot. Acidification was highest in the bare soil (6.3 kmol H+ ha−1 year−1), due to leaching of applied N fertilizers. The cowpea–maize rotations did not increase significantly the rate of acid addition (7.6 kmol H+ ha−1 year−1), since the crop residues were returned to the plot. The introduction of stylo in the cropping system resulted in a lower net acidification rate when it was cultivated in rotation with maize (1.3 kmol H+ ha−1 year−1), due to the lower rate of leaching. In contrast, continuous cultivation of stylo triggered accelerated acidification (7.2 kmol H+ ha−1 year−1), as a result of the large quantities of biomass with high ash alkalinity being removed from the plot. In the no-lime system, the pH of the soil profile remained stable at pH 4.0 regardless of the cropping system, even though the acidification rates were quite similar to those in the limed treatments. This would suggest that the soil was strongly buffered at pH 4.0. XRD patterns showed that kaolinite, the main clay mineral, was more disordered and less crystalline in the surface horizons than at depth. It is suggested that the dissolution of kaolinite is responsible for the buffering of soil pH at 4.0. From the dissolution equation of kaolinite, it is expected that the amount of aluminium in the topsoil would increase along with the release silica that would accelerate cementation processes between soil particles resulting in further degradation.