Soil Fertility Management

Module: 14
Management of Acid Soils
 Management of Acid Soils

Contents
• Concept & Measurement and expression of Soil Acidity
• Sources and or Causes of acidity
• Relationship between soil pH and nutrient availability
• Harmful effects of soil acidity
– on crop production and on
– beneficial microorganisms
• Management strategies to improve the productivity of acid soils
 Liming
 Alliterative Options
 Concept of Soil Acidity

Measurement and Expression of Soil Acidity

• Acidity is measured in moles of hydrogen per liter of solution.
• Soil hydrogen levels are expressed in terms of pH which is a
negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration.
• Because of the harmful effects of acid soils and the continual
causes of soil acidity, it is important to have a firm
understanding of it.
•   pH = -log (H+)
• P = refers to negative log.
• H = means the H+ ion concentration in grams per liter
 Concept of Soil Acidity

• Acid soils, technically defined, are soils that have

a pH less than 7.0, since by convention pH of 7.0
is neutral, above 7.0 is basic (or alkaline) and
below 7.0 is acidic.
• From the standpoint of plant growth, soil
management is usually not affected until the pH
is less than about 6.2 for legumes and 5.5 for
non-legumes.
 Concept of Soil Acidity
pH Ranges For Soil Acidity Interpretation
Reaction Soil pH
Slightly acid 7-6
Moderately acid 6-5

Strongly acid 5-4

pH Ranges For Alkaline Soil Interpretation
Very strongly acid
Reaction
4-3
Soil pH
Slightly alkaline 7-8
Moderately alkaline 8-9

Strongly alkaline 9-10

Very strongly alkaline 10-11
 The Causes of Soil Acidity
What causes soil acidity? conditions under which the soil developed;
• Parent Material
– limestone parent material, will often be neutral or alkaline in
their pH (e.g. pH > 7).
– Granitic parent material, will favor development of an acid
soil.
• Rainfall/leaching
– Under high rainfall conditions soils become acidic because
there is sufficient leaching over geological time.
• Topography: On hill slopes, development of acid soils is easier;
Acid soils do not develop generally in river basins
• Soil erosion: removal of top soils
• Removal of basic cations by crop and
• Use of N fertilizers associated with intensive crop production.
 The Causes of Soil Acidity

• The use of ammoniacal sources of N: These fertilizer materials

undergo biological oxidation to NO 3- according to the overall
general reaction

NH4+ + 2O2  NO3- + 2H+ + H2O

which produces two protons for every mole of N oxidized
• Sulfur: Sulfur, an ingredient in some fungiside and fertilizers,
oxidizes to sulfate and hydrogen ions. Note that the sulfate ion itself
is not acid forming:
Thiobacillus
2S + 3O2 + 2HOH 2SO42- + 4H+
bacteria
 
 Effect of Soil Acidity
On Elemental Nutrient Availability

Note: the
wider the bar,
the greater
the nutrient
availability

the general relationship between soil pH and plant nutrient availability is that, the primary
nutrients, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium as well as the secondary nutrients-sulfur, calcium
and magnesium are as available or more available at a pH of 5.5 and 6.5
 Effects of Soil Acidity

On Fertilizer efficiency (%) at varying soil pH level

Soil Acidity pH Nitrogen Phosphate Potash
Extreme 4.5 30 23 33

Very Strong 5.0 33 34 52

Strong 5.5 77 46 77

Medium 6.0 89 52 100

Neutral 7.0 100 100 100

 Effects of Soil Acidity
On Nutrient Availability & Crop Production
• Greatly restrict the growth of most plants
• Majority of crop plants produce yields less than their potential due
to:-
 Reduced microorganisms activity.
 Aluminum toxicity.
 Manganese toxicity.
 Iron toxicity in a few soils
 Calcium deficiency
 magnesium deficiency
 molibdenium deficiency, especially for legumes and the cabage
family.
 nitrogen, phosphorus and/ or sulfur deficiency because of very
slow organic matter decomposition.
 Effects of Soil Acidity
On Beneficial Microorganisms
• By regulating amounts, growth and microbial activities, pH
affects the mineralization of organic matter and the
subsequent availabilities of N, P, S and micronutrients to
higher plants.
• In general, organic matter, whether natural or added,
decomposes slowly in acid soils.
• Some disease causing agents (especially fungi) flourish well in
acid soils. Incidence of disease is, therefore, increased.
• At the same time a large population of beneficial
microorganisms suffers badly due to high concentration of
hydrogen ions.
 Soil acidity management technologies

Basic Technologies:
• Liming: Liming is the process of adding lime, dolomite,
quicklime, slack lime, steel slag, or other materials to the soil.
• Use acid tolerant crops or varieties
• Residue cover Management
 Liming
The most common and in most cases, the most effective way to
correct soil acidity is by applying lime.
What is Liming?Is the practice of adding liming materials to acid
soils for the purpose of increasing soil pH and maintaining a
favorable soil environment for plant growth.
• A more favorable root environment may be a consequence of
• Desirable PH.
• Decreasing the toxicity of Al and Mn
• Increasing Ca and Mg supplies.
• Enhancing the availability of P and Mo.
• Improving mineralization of organic compounds, thereby
improving N, S and P uptake.
• Improving soil biological activity, such as nitrogen fixation.
 Types of Liming Materials

1. Calcium oxide (CaO):- This is also known as un-slaked

lime or burnt limestone or quick lime. It is a white powder
and difficult to handle as it is caustic and explosive
2. Calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)z:- This is commonly known
as slaked lime or building lime
3. Dolomite [(Ca Mg (CO3)z]:Besides calcium, it also
contains nearly equal amount of magnesium which is an
essential plant nutrient Acid soils are often deficient in this
nutrient.
4. Marl [CaCO3]:-Marl is a soft, unconsolidated form of
calcium carbonate.
 Amount of Lime Required

• Soil testing for pH is essential for finding out approximately correct

dose of liming material.
• The amount of the liming material greatly depends upon the soil
texture; the smaller the soil particles, the greater will be the site
exposed for hydrogen ions to stick on.
• The amount of amendment should be enough to neutralize
hydrogen ions swarming around the soil particles also (reserve
acidity). Therefore, soil testing for lime recommendation must take
this point into account.
• Reserve acidity is sometimes thousand times greater than active
acidity In clay soils, reserve acidity is very high, whereas in sandy
soils it is comparatively low.
• The amount of liming material required to neutralize total acidity
(active + reserve), therefore, varies greatly according to soil texture.
 Methods & Time of Application

• Lime can be applied to advantage at any stage in the cropping system, but
it is best applied 6-12 months in advance of seeding a legume or a few
months (2 to 3 months) before planting a high value
crops.
• This can be done during the preparation of field.
• Lime reaction is faster and greater when mixed into the soil
rather than simply spread on the surface.
• Lime is not mobile in the soil. Therefore, it should be spread in the field
with maximum possible uniformity and worked well into the soil.
• Soil should be sufficiently moist at the time of liming or a light irrigation
may be given to the field after mixing the lime. To maintain desirable soil
reaction in the humid regions, liming at every 3-5 years interval is
recommended
• Adequate rainfall ensures the downward movement of lime in the
plowed (tilled fields high value crop that respond well to lime.
Methods & Time of Application
 Advantages of liming

1. Physical effects
• Liming improves physical condition of heavy soils; they
become granular in structure and their water holding capacity
is improved.
• Liming also encourages the decomposition of organic matter
and consequently, there is greater production of organic
colloids.
• The Ca-humus so produced is believed to be an effective
cementing agent in binding the soil particles.
• Liming also prevents soil erosion because soils which have
received liming treatment support good plant growth.
 Advantages of liming

2. Chemical effects
• Among the principal chemical properties influenced by
liming is the reduction of H ions in the colloidal complex.

• It increases the availability of almost all the nutrients such

as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium,
boron, zinc, copper and molybdenum, and reduces the
toxicity caused by soluble iron, aluminum and manganese
 Advantages of liming

3. Biological effects
• One of the outstanding biological effects of liming is to
encourage the microbial activity of the soil.
• By raising the soil pH, it makes the soil more congenial for a
number of micro organisms.
• Nitrifying and nitrogen fixing bacteria, both symbiotic and non
symbiotic are stimulated by the addition of lime to an acid soil.
• Lime also brings about a more rapid decomposition of organic
manure, both native and added, as a result of improved
microbial activity.
• This further increases the availability of nitrogen phosphorus
and sulphur.
 Adverse Effects

• The main effect of over liming is to reduce the availability of some

of the essential nutrients, both major and minor, such as iron,
manganese, boron, copper, zinc, phosphorus, potassium, etc, and
thus bring about nutritional deficiency
 Considerations for Success

• Soil Testing.
• Reliable soil test (representative).
• Soil pH may be variable in the area (year to year?) (within year?).
• Amount of Lime. The buffer index from a soil test serves as a
good guide for determining how much lime should be added.
• When non-legumes are grown successively in the same field, it is
only necessary to apply enough lime to eliminate current and
future Al and Mn toxicities.
• When lime recommendations are extremely large the amount
should be split into an initial application followed by the
remainder applied a year later.
 Considerations for success
• When lime is incorporated there should be good soil moisture,
it may still take a year or more before noticeable change in soil
pH occurs.
• Pastures, perennial plantings, or no-till productions, may
require three to five years before the lime causes a noticeable
change in soil pH.
• Thus, important to lime fields before they are planted to a
perennial crop or managed as no-till.
• Systems where legume is rotated with a non-legume annuals
like corn or wheat, the field should be limed a year before the
legume is planted to take advantage of tillage operations
related to corn or wheat production and allow more time for
lime to react in the soil.
 Considerations for success

• Lime must be physically mixed with the soil.

• Tillage Depth. Lime recommendations are usually made
assuming a six-inch tillage depth.
• Sandy soils are usually cultivated to eight or ten inches and
a proportional increase in the lime rate should be made.
• For crops with a shallow root system, such as some
vegetables, it may be important to reduce the lime rate to
match a shallower depth of incorporation.
 Liming Management Procedures

• Use limestone to raise the soil pH (if magnesium is also low, use a
high magnesium or dolomite lime).
• Mix lime thoroughly into the plow layer.
• Spread lime well in advance of sensitive crops if at all possible.
• If the lime requirement is high consider splitting the application
over two years.
• If the pH is increased too much, phosphate is not released from
slow working fertilizers.
• Reducing soil pH (making soil more acid) for acid loving crops is
done best with elemental sulfur (S).
• Lime must be reapplied regularly. This is labor-intensive and
usually also prohibitively expensive.
 Liming Alternative
How can acid soils be managed without liming?
• Acid tolerant varieties or different plant species.
• Rye & Oat are more acid tolerant than wheat.
• The Al and Mn toxicity that prevent normal seedling root
development in wheat can be alleviated by adding phosphate
fertilizer in a band with the seed at planting.
• Phosphate reacts strongly with Al to form insoluble aluminum
phosphate, thus removing Al+++ from solution and the exchange
complex.
• If P is not deficient, the cost of applying the P for two or three
years will usually equal the cost of an application of lime that
would have lasted five to eight years.
• These alternatives allow normal or near normal production but
do not cause a change in soil pH.
• Eventually the soil must be limed for long-term production.
 Alternative solutions

• Increasing the soil organic matter

• Green manuring (inoculate):
• Neutralizer acidity effects of mineral (synthetic)
Nitrogen Fertilizers:
• Fully replace mineral (synthetic) Nitrogen Fertilizers by
organic nitrogen
• During transition from chemical to organic, use house
calcium sources such as wood ash, earth from termite
mounds, alkaline nitrogen fertilizers (calcium
Cyanamid, calcium ammonium nitrate and calcium
nitrate).
 Crops Tolerant to Acidity

• Most crop plants grow well when the soil pH is between 5.5 and
7.5, a fairly wide range even under field condition.
• A large proportion of crop plants can tolerate slight to moderate
acidity, a few can tolerate even a fairly strong acidity.
• Serious trouble develops when the pH drops below 5.0
• Crops which can be successfully grown in acid soils are listed in
the following table.
 pH Preferences of Crops
• “pH” is not an essential plant nutrient, and plants obtain their
large H requirement from H2O and not H+.
• Thus, it is the chemical environment, for which pH is an index,
that crops are responsive to rather than the pH itself.
• Non-legumes require a soil pH above 5.5 because more acidic
soils tend to have toxic levels of Mn and Al present.
• Crops which grow well in soils more acidic than this can
tolerate these metal ions and perhaps are ineffective in
obtaining Fe from less acidic soils.
• Legumes usually grow best at soil pH above 6.0 because the
rhizobium involved in fixing atmospheric N2 seem to thrive in
an environment rich in basic cations.
 Tolerant crops

Sl. No. Slightly tolerant Medium tolerant Very tolerant

1 Berseem Maize Mustard

2 Sugarcane Potato Buck wheat

3 Cauliflower Wheat Coffee

4 French bean Soya bean Rubber

5 Cabbage Barley Tea

6 Watermelon Oats --

7 Lucerne Rice --