Abstract
ABSTRACT Liming represents a management procedure that can affect the soil structure and its thermodynamic processes. In this context, the aims of this study were to assess (i) the effects of the surface and incorporated liming on the clay dispersion, soil water availability, and aeration capacity; (ii) the influence of soil chemical alterations in its physical attributes. For this, a field experiment was installed in a family farming property, located in the southeastern region of the State of Parana, in a Dystrudept soil. The treatments were 3 application modes (on the surface, incorporated via plowing and incorporated via subsoiling and harrowing), with and without 15 Mg∙ha–1 of lime, aiming to increase the base saturation in the topsoil (0 – 0.20 m) to approximately 70%. Eighteen months after application, undisturbed and disturbed soil samples were collected from the 0 – 0.10 and 0.10 – 0.20 m layers to evaluate the waterdispersed clay (WDC), water content at the field capacity (θFC) and at the permanent wilting point (θPWP), plant available water capacity (PAWC), relative water capacity (RWC), aeration capacity (AC), granulometry and the soil structural and chemical attributes. WDC content in the 0 – 0.10 m layer increased when the soil was revolved and it was influenced exclusively when lime was applied on the soil surface. With surface liming there were increase in θFC, θPWP, PAWC and RWC, and reduction in AC in the 0 – 0.10 m layer. In the 0.10 – 0.20 m layer isolated effects were verified of the modes application and liming on θFC, PAWC and RWC, while θPWP was not influenced by treatments. The soil water availability and aeration capacity alterations were mainly affected by micro and macroporosity increases, pH reduction, Al3+ precipitation, and substitution of this ion in the exchange complex by Ca2+ and Mg2+.
Highlights
Soil water availability and aeration capacity are important soil physical attributes which depend on soil structure affecting the crop development and yield (Fernández-Ugalde et al 2009)
This effects occur because the initial clay content is one of the most important attributes in determining the amount of waterdispersed clay (WDC) (Kjaergaard et al 2004), and the soil fast wetting, after a dry cycle, might have a disaggregating action due to the air bubbles trapped in the soil macropores (Kemper and Rosenau 1984; Roth and Pavan 1991; Oliveira et al 2005; Pires et al 2005, 2007)
LS, LIPH and LISH treatments presented limited plant available water capacity (PAWC) and, on the other hand, PH treatment showed good PAWC in this layer. These results show that liming might be beneficial to soil water retention, mainly in the 0 – 0.10 m layer (Auler et al 2017), soil acidity correction might limit the PAWC if there is lack of rainfall, depending on the period and the water stress level (Caires et al 2008; Joris et al 2013)
Summary
Soil water availability and aeration capacity are important soil physical attributes which depend on soil structure affecting the crop development and yield (Fernández-Ugalde et al 2009). Low water availability reduces water and nutrients plant uptake, especially in acid soils where the root grow was limited in the surface layers (Caires et al 2008; Joris et al 2013). Soil acidity is considered a limiting factor to the yield in extensive areas of the world, especially in tropical and subtropical regions (von Uexküll and Mutert 1995). In Brazil near 70% of the soils are estimated as acids (Quaggio 2000). Damages caused by the soil acidity are commonly corrected through lime application. The acidity correction dynamics depends on the mode of corrective material application (Caires et al 2008; Caires et al 2011)
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