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Predictors of Lime Needs for pH and Aluminum Management of New York Agricultural Soils
Author(s) -
Dietzel Kevin A.,
Ketterings Quirine M.,
Rao Renuka
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj2008.0186
Subject(s) - lime , soil water , chemistry , soil ph , environmental chemistry , titration , cation exchange capacity , triethanolamine , organic matter , nutrient , soil test , zoology , environmental science , soil science , analytical chemistry (journal) , inorganic chemistry , metallurgy , biology , materials science , organic chemistry
Periodic lime addition is recommended for naturally acidic agricultural soils, as soil pH affects nutrient availability and the toxicity of elements such as Al. Currently, lime requirements (LRs) for New York soils are derived from the actual and target pH, and exchange acidity (EA) determined by BaCl 2 –triethanolamine (TEA) titration, a time‐consuming and toxic‐waste‐generating procedure. Our objectives were to: (i) calibrate and evaluate four buffer pH methods and EA as predictors of LRs; and (ii) determine the impact of CaCO 3 addition on Morgan‐extractable Al (MEA). Forty‐three soils, ranging in EA from 4.1 to 18.6 cmol c kg −1 , were collected from New York agricultural areas. Eighteen soils were incubated at 21°C for 12 wk with CaCO 3 added at six rates. The EA‐based method was highly correlated with incubation LR ( r 2 > 0.96, RMSE < 0.62) across the 18 soils. A comparison of LRs derived by EA and buffer pH applied to all 43 soils showed the highest correlation and lowest RMSE for the modified Mehlich (MM) and Mehlich buffers ( r 2 = 0.91, RMSE = 0.88–0.89). The MM buffer has the advantage of not generating toxic waste. These buffers were followed by the Shoemaker–McLean–Pratt ( r 2 = 0.90, RMSE = 0.96) and Sikora ( r 2 = 0.87, RMSE = 1.09) buffers. Final MEA levels could be accurately predicted when initial MEA, CaCO 3 application rate, and soil organic matter (OM) content were known. The MM buffer is an acceptable replacement of the EA‐based method for predicting LRs, and initial MEA and OM level are necessary to determine the amount of CaCO 3 needed for a specific target MEA.