Effect of surface applications of lime, gypsum and phosphogypsum on the alleviating of surface and subsurface acidity in a soil under pasture

Changes in the chemistry of an acidic grey massive earth soil in response to various ameliorant treatments (gypsum and phosphogypsum in the presence or absence of lime) were investigated in a subterranean clover-based pasture in the southern highlands of New South Wales. Lime, gypsum, and phosphogypsum, or lime in combination with gypsum and phosphogypsum were broadcast at 2500 kg ha-1 on the surface of the soil in May 1990. Pasture production was determined and the soil was sampled to 25 cm depth, 6 and 18 months after treatment application. Surface soil pH was increased to 6-1 by the application of lime, gypsum plus lime and phosphogypsum plus lime treatments in the 0-5 cm depth interval, but remained unchanged when gypsum or phosphogypsum was used alone. Calcium chloride extractable aluminium increased down the soil profile under all treatments to 10-15 cm, but was highest in the gypsum treatment at depth. The application of phosphogypsum increased the 0.01 m CaCl2 extractable fluoride in the surface 5 cm from 26 to 43 �M. In contrast, fluoride concentrations were decreased to between 5.3 and 7.3 �M in the lime, gypsum plus lime and phosphogypsum plus lime treatments. Gypsum and phosphogypsum decreased the concentration of Al3+ in solution and on the exchange sites in the 0-5 cm depth interval. However, the effectiveness of the amendments to reduce toxic Al3+ concentrations were confined to the surface 5 cm. The concentration of aluminium and the activity of Al3+ in the 0-5 cm soil layer at both soil samplings were decreased by the amendments. Lime, and gypsum or phosphogypsum in combination with lime, were the most effective treatments for reducing the activity of Al3+. The activity of Al3+ increased with depth in all treatments. The pH and activity of Al3+ measured in the 0.01 m CaCl2 extracts plot near the gibbsite solubility line and suggest that Al solubility was controlled by this mineral. Exchangeable Ca in the 0-5 cm soil layer was significantly increased by the application of lime whereas exchangeable aluminium was decreased by lime, gypsum and phosphogypsum. There was no significant change in exchangeable cations other than Al below the surface 5 cm which suggests limited leaching of lime, gypsum and phosphogypsum in the profile within the 18 month study period. Pasture yield was significantly increased by the addition of lime and was related to the decrease in the activity of Al3+ in the surface soil.

Surface soil-pH map of Queensland

Surface soil pH can influence biological activity, nutrition and various chemical processes in the soil. Low pH or acidity is causing major concern in southern Australia, prompting requests for details on the extent, severity and distribution of acidic soils in Queensland. By creating a soil pH database, using an appropriate base map, rainfall isohyets and GIS technology, a coloured pH map of surface soils was produced at a 1:5000000 scale for the entire State. As most samples were from virgin or little disturbed sites, the map generally reflects naturally occurring soil pH. Developed horticultural, agricultural and fertilized pastoral areas are likely to have lower pH than that mapped. About two thirds (63.1%) of Queensland's soils have acidic surfaces, 9.5% neutral and the remaining 26.9% are alkaline. The major proportion (74%) of the > 1200 mm rainfall zone is strongly acid, and the remainder is medium acid or acid. Much of the sugar growing areas occur in this zone. Surface soil pH generally decreases as rainfall increases and to a lesser extent from subtropical to tropical climate. In addition to climate, identification of the soil type assists with predicting pH, as the organic, coarse and medium textured soils and massive earths are more likely to be acid and have low buffering capacity. Depending on the land use, such soils may require regular liming or minimizing of net acidifying practices for long term sustainability.

Soil acidification in urine affected and urea affected soil

Return of sheep urine (2.2 g N L-1) and urea solutions (0, 6, 9 and 12 g N L-1) to a red podzolic soil in pot experiments resulted in acidification following nitrification. The pH decrease in 0 to 10 cm soil ranged from 0.2 to 0.8 units with the decrease being linearly related (r2 = 0.96, P < 0.01) to the NO3- produced which generally increased with N return. Acid subsurface layers developed in all urine/urea treatments within 6 to 10 weeks following urea-N return. During subsequent plant growth, between 0 and 78% of acid released from urine/urea solution treatments was neutralized. Neutralization was greatest at low rates of N return and when NO-3 was not removed from the soil by leaching before plant uptake. The trend in the relationship between N uptake by plants and acid neutralization was not significant. As a result of plant growth in control pots, the surface soil pH decreased, while in the subsurface layers the pH increased. Based on the extent of acidification observed here, urinary return to grazed pastures could lead to a pH decrease in the surface 10 cm of soil of up to 0.5 units over a 10 year period.

Soil pH and aluminium and their spatial variation in Western Australian acidic soils

Thirty-eight sites on acid soils (pH<5.5, 1:5 in water) in the medium rainfall region of Western Australia were sampled to examine spatial variation in soil pH and 0.01 mol/L CaCl2-extractable aluminium. We also examined the relationship between (i) the A1 and A2 horizon soil pH, (ii) the A1 and A2 horizon extractable aluminium, (iii) surface and subsurface soil pH and (iv) surface soil and subsurface soil-extractable Al. Soil at each site generally had a light-textured layer overlying a clay layer at varying depths (30-70 cm) and was classified as either Dy 5.21 or Dy 5.41 (Northcote 1979). Over 80% of the sites had surface soil pH values 4.8 or lower and extractable aluminium concentrations 2 �g/g or higher. There was a very poor correlation (r2 = 0.21) between the A1 horizon soil aluminium extracted in 0.01 mol/L CaCl2 and the pH measured in 0.01 mol/L CaCl2 over 1 ha sites. The relationship was slightly improved in the A2 horizon (r2 = 0.49). The coefficients of variation of soil pH varied from 1.2 to 5.1%, while the coefficients of variation for CaCl2-extractable aluminium varied from 10 to 50%. At many of the sites, low pH values and high aluminium concentrations extended down to 35-45 cm. At the B horizon the pH values generally increased and the aluminium concentrations decreased. The surface soil pH and extractable aluminium were not good indicators (r2 = 0.09-0.60) of the subsurface soil pH and extractable aluminium.

EFFECTS OF SURFACE SOIL PH ON SOIL CATION CONTENT, LEAF NUTRIENT LEVELS AND QUALITY OF APPLES IN BRITISH COLUMBIA

’Starkrimson’ Delicious (Malus domestica Borkh.), 10–15 yr old, on seedling rootstock, were sampled in several orchards, selected for uniformly low soil pH (< 5.0), medium pH and high pH (6.5–7.3). Harrold Red Delicious, 20–25 yr old, were sampled in 18 orchards which had low, medium and high pH within each. Soils with low pH were generally characterized by higher exchangeable Mn and lower exchangeable Ca. Exchangeable soil Mg and K levels were not significantly related to soil pH. On soils of low pH, higher leaf Mn was the main plant nutrient response with both Harrold Red and Starkrimson trees. Significantly decreased leaf Ca was observed on the younger Starkrimson trees at low soil pH. Soil pH had no direct effect on fruit firmness, soluble solids, juice acidity, or flesh Ca, Mg and K contents. Poststorage fruit quality problems were primarily surface scald and were not related to differences in soil pH. Incidence of flesh browning was, however, related to low flesh Ca content.

Atrazine Efficacy and Longevity as Affected by Tillage, Liming, and Fertilizer Type

Efficacy of atrazine [2-chloro-4-(ethylamino-6-(isopropylamino)-s-triazine] applied preemergence to no-tillage and conventional-tillage corn (Zea maysL.) was studied in the field for 2 yr at two locations. Other variables examined were lime treatments, atrazine rates, and acid-forming (NH4NO3) vs. nonacid-forming (NaNO3) nitrogen fertilizers. Mean surface soil pH levels during the growing season were higher with no-tillage than conventional tillage, because of the retention of lime in the surface in no-tillage vs. mixing it with the soil in conventional tillage, but there was no consistent increase in atrazine efficacy or longevity in one system over the other. Liming significantly increased atrazine efficacy and longevity in both no-tillage and conventional-tillage systems. Increased rates of atrazine increased weed control and longevity of the herbicide. Use of NaNO3as a nitrogen source resulted in increased atrazine efficacy and longevity as compared with use of NH4NO3during the first year, which was relatively dry, but had no effect during the second year, which was relatively wet.

SOIL ACIDIFICATION BY FERTILIZERS AND LONGEVITY OF LIME APPLICATIONS IN THE PEACE RIVER REGION

Acidification of two soils was measured in an experiment in which fertilizer and CaCO3 treatments were applied in various combinations. The highest rate of fertilizer used, which included N at 139 kg/ha, decreased the pH in 4–5 yr in unlimed Donnelly (Gray Luvisol) and Josephine (Eluviated Gleysol) soils by 0.43 and 0.18 units, respectively. The fertilizer increased the soluble Al content in both soils. Yields of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) were greatly increased by the fertilizer and lime treatments. However, by the fourth crop on the Josephine soil, fertilizer failed to give a yield increase in the absence of lime; this was apparently due to declining soil pH and increasing soluble Al. In another experiment, loss of lime was measured over an 8-yr period in six soils that had been limed with Ca(OH)2 to pH 6.5–7.0. The average loss of lime from the soils was equivalent to 495 kg of CaCO3/ha annually. This was accompanied by a decline in pH of 0.48 unit in the 8 yr. Liming caused substantial increases to subsoil pH for three of the soils. Despite the decline in surface soil pH, increases in yields of barley from liming were sustained over the 8-yr period. The implication of these findings to soil fertility practices in the Peace River region are discussed.

Effect of pH, Nitrogen, and Tillage on Weed Control and Corn (Zea mays) Yield

Field studies were conducted to determine the effect of soil surface (upper 5 cm) pH and tillage on weed control and corn (Zea maysL.) yield using simazine [2-chloro-4,6-bis-(ethylamino)-s-triazine] as the herbicide for weed control. Soil pH, weed control, and corn yield were examined under no-tillage and conventional tillage systems with and without added lime and different rates of nitrogen. Increased soil pH significantly increased weed control as compared with added lime vs. no added lime, where the surface soil pH influenced the effectiveness of the applied simazine. Soil pH had a greater effect on weed control under no-tillage than under conventional tillage. Conventional tillage significantly (P<.01) increased weed control, yield, and soil pH over no-tillage. Additions of lime as compared to unlimed treatments resulted in significantly increased weed control (83% vs. 63%), yield (5,930 vs. 5,290 kg/ha) and soil pH (5.91 vs. 5.22). The poorest weed control was observed with no-tillage on unlimed plots. A significant tillage by linear effect of nitrogen interaction for all variables resulted from a greater decrease (P<.01) in weed control and soil pH and a greater increase in yield with increased nitrogen under no-tillage than with conventional tillage.