Lime Application Rates Research Articles

Effect of time and rate of application of lime, inoculation, and lime pelleting on clover establishment

Abstract The effects were investigated of time and rate of lime application and of cultivation on the establishment of ‘Grasslands Huia’ white clover seed that was either untreated, inoculated only, or inoculated + lime pelleted. When clover was oversown on uncultivated ground, time and rate of lime application did not significantly affect establishment (percentage of seedlings nodulated, seedling vigour, or percentage of plot covered with clover) from any of the seed treatments. In cultivated ground, no effect of time and rate of lime on clover establishment was apparent when inoculated + lime pelleted seed was sown. However, when inoculated only seed was sown, clover establishment was markedly lower from the low rate of lime (625 kg/ha) than from the high rate (2500 kg/ha) applied at sowing, or from either rate applied 9 months before sowing. In the absence of inoculation, the application of the high rate of lime 9 months before sowing markedly increased the percentage of plants nodulated and the percen...

Elemental Composition of Maize Grown Under No‐Till and Conventional Tillage1

AbstractGrower acceptance of the no‐till technique for corn (Zea mays L.) production is increasing due to reduced labor costs, improved water and soil conservation by the herbicide‐killed cover crop, and frequently higher yields compared to conventional tillage. Information regarding macro‐ and micronutrient uptake by corn produced under the unique no‐till system is limited. This field study compares elemental composition, plant population, and yield of corn (var. ‘Wisconsin 335A’) under no‐till and conventional culture at five lime levels.The concentration of Ca, Mg, Zn, Mo, B, and Al in corn leaf tissue was significantly reduced and K concentration was significantly increased under no‐till conditions. Significant soil pH increases were noted only under the no‐till system in the surface samples (O to 8 cm) at the two highest lime application rates (4 and 8 tons/ha). Plant population was reduced (16.1%), but silage yields increased (22.5%) with the no‐tillage method. This may reflect increased moisture conservation, since relatively dry growing conditions prevailed. The reduced nutrient utilization (with the exception of K) and plant population under no‐till conditions may justify changes in fertilization practice and an increase in seeding rates. The former is particularly important if no‐till methods were to be used over extended periods of time without plowing.

Effects of calcium carbonate and ammonium sulphate on manganese toxicity in an acid soil

The effects of increasing rates of lime and ammonium sulphate on French beans were studied on an acid red basaltic soil (pH 4.5-4.8), rich in manganese, on the north coast of New South Wales. Addition of lime resulted in an increased plant yield, a higher soil pH, and a marked reduction in available soil manganese and plant manganese. Applications of 2 or more tons lime per acre corrected manganese toxicity. Ammonium sulphate applications acidified the soil, increased manganese levels in both soil and plant tissue, and increased the frequency of manganese toxicity symptoms at less than 2 tons lime per acre. At pH 4.7-4.8, exchangeable and water-soluble manganese levels were sensitive to slight changes in reaction. Changes in pH between 5.2 and 6.0 caused only slight alterations in manganese levels in soil and plants. Two tons lime per acre reduced the level of manganese in the soil to about half that in the untreated soil, whereas 3 tons lime was necessary to halve the level of manganese in plants. Close linear relationships were found between rates of lime application and pH, between exchangeable and water-soluble manganese, and between both water-soluble and exchangeable soil manganese and plant manganese. Hyperbolic relationships were found between lime and manganese in soil and plants and also between pH and manganese fractions. Toxic levels of manganese in soil and leaves varied seasonally and yearly, and symptoms usually appeared when the manganese content of the first mature leaves was greater than 600 p.p.m. in the winter crop. Symptoms were more closely related to high levels of plant manganese than to soil manganese. The results of this trial indicate that soil and plant analyses are useful for predicting manganese toxicity in acid soils.

Effect of Phosphate Source, Lime, and Time of Phosphate Application on Absorption of Applied Phosphorus by Plants

AbstractEffects of P source, rate of liming, and time of contact between fertilizer and soil on the availability and uptake by plants of phosphatic fertilizers applied to several Minnesota soils have been studied in greenhouse experiments.Monocalcium phosphate resulted in significantly higher yields and lower P contents of wheat than dicalcium phosphate, and was more available to both wheat and alfalfa.Alfalfa yields generally increased with an increase in the rate of liming. Liming had no apparent effect on the total P content of wheat or alfalfa, but the uptake by alfalfa of P from applied monocalcium phosphate was increased by the 4‐ton per acre rate of lime application. With both phosphate sources, alfalfa yields were highest on the alkaline soils, and lowest on an acid soil.Time of phosphate application had no consistent effect on growth rate or dry matter production of oats, although yield responses to phosphate fertilization were obtained on four soils. Phosphorus content of oats was generally increased when fertilizer was applied ahead of the planting date. Availability of applied phosphate tended to decrease on two high pH soils when fertilizer was applied 20 days or more ahead of planting.

The Effects of Lime Application to Acid Bog Lakes in Northern Michigan

To investigate the observed correlation between alkalinity and productivity of lake waters and to test the use of lime in bog lakes to increase biological productivity, lime application was made to two, acid, soft-water, colored bog lakes in the upper peninsula of Michigan. Lime application was made twice to each of the two lakes, once in the summer under thermally stratified conditions and once in the autumn under nearly homothermous conditions, by pumping a lime-water mixture into the surface waters. Total rate of lime application was 100 pounds per acre-foot in each lake. The summer lime applications resulted in raising the pH and increasing alkalinity, total hardness and conductivity in the epilimnion only. The autumn application resulted in similar effects in the lower hypolimnion, because of sinking of the denser lime solution to the bottom where because of its greater density it did not later mix with upper layers. Lime application did not decrease the organic colloidal color. Total phosphorus was greatly increased in the bottom waters of one treated lake which originally was low in total phosphorus but there was no significant increase in the bottom waters of the other treated lake where total phosphorus concentrations were originally high. Total phosphorus also increased temporarily in the epilimnion of one lake following the summer application. A bloom of nannoplankton (Microcystis aeruginosa) was observed in one lake following the release of epilimnial phosphorus. Chemical data indicated that because of the presence of higher bicarbonate concentrations, the nannoplankton utilized carbon dioxide at a rate which may not have been possible without lime application. In both lakes the following summer, significantly higher standing crops of net phytoplankton were observed (principally of Dinobryon sertularia). Increases in standing crop of zooplankton also occurred the year following lime application.