remediation of stratified soil acidity through surface...

Remediation of stratified soil acidity through surface application of lime in no-till cropping systems

Carol McFarland, David R. Huggins, Kurt L. Schroeder, J. Joey Blackburn, L. Carpenter-Boggs, Rich Koenig, Timothy C. Paulitz

Introduction:• Accelerated soil acidification resulting from application of ammonia-based

fertilizers has been an issue of increasing concern in the Palouse region of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho (6)

• Low soil pH reduces crop yield as acidic conditions release phytotoxic levels of aluminum (Al) and manganese (Mn)

• Soils that developed under native prairie have greater base saturation, organic matter and increased buffering capacity to resist pH changes as compared to soils that developed under native forest

• In no-till systems acidification is often concentrated in a stratified band where fertilizer has been placed

• Traditional incorporation of liming materials is not possible for producers wanting to maintain no-till management systems

• Surface application of lime has been shown to remediate stratified acidic conditions (3)

• Recent availability of an ultra-fine (1-2 micron) fluid lime may help growers address stratified soil acidity issues

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Soil pHSoil pH stratification 0-30 cm at two sites

Rockford (Historically forested) PCFS (Historically prairie)

Methods:• Two sites representative of soils that were historically forested (Rockford) or in

native prairie (PCFS) prior to agricultural cultivation• November 2013 application of two calcium carbonate sources to experimental

field plots in a Complete Randomized Block Design• Ultra-fine (1-2 micron) particle size fluid lime (NuCal), applied with

a sprayer at rates: 200 lbs/ac, 400 lbs/ac, 1000 lbs/ac and 2000 lbs/ac calcium carbonate equivalent

• Sugar lime – byproduct of sugar beet processing, shaken onto the soil surface at rates: 400 lbs/ac and 2000 lbs/ac calcium carbonate equivalent

• Spring soil sampling from 0-10 cm divided into 2-cm strata• Above-ground biomass was taken at anthesis stage from each plot by hand

with a 1m² quadrat• Chickpea yield was harvested using a plot combine in 15’ x 30’ strips

Objective: Assess surface application of fluid lime and sugar lime on crop and soil properties in no-till cropping systems with stratified soil pH 0

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Al p

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KCl Al vs pH PCFS

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KCl Al vs pH Rockford

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DTPA Mn vs pH PCFS

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DTPA Mn vs pH Rockford

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Control 200lbs/acFluidLime

400lbs/acFluidLime

1000lbs/acFluidLime

2000lbs/acFluidLime

400lbs/acSugarLime

2000lbs/acSugarLime

Alp

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Al concentrations in above ground biomass with lime treatments

Chickpea Canola

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400lbs/acFluidLime

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2000lbs/acFluidLime

400lbs/acSugarLime

2000lbs/acSugarLime

Mn

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Mn concentrations in above ground biomass with lime treatments

Chickpea Canola

Discussion:Soil pH is important for maintaining soil quality, optimizing nutrient availability and avoiding problems with Al and Mn toxicity, lime application is known to raise pHIn this study, surface-applied lime at the highest rates increased soil pH at the 0-2cm depth, within 6 months of application regardless of lime source and location• Calcium carbonate (lime) reacts slowly to neutralize soil acidity, over time the effects of the

lime application will move deeper into the soil profile and increase the pH of the seeding and rooting zone where the lowest pH values are seen

The highest rates of surface-applied lime reduced soil Al and Mn at the 0-2cm depth within 6 months of application, regardless of lime source, though not the Rockford soil Mn• Potential for Al toxicity depends not only on the concentration of Al in the soil but also the

form and the chemical “activity” (2) which determines what is plant available • For crops, and even among varieties, there is wide range of tolerance to both Al and Mn• KCl or DTPA extractable Al and Mn are common soil tests• Percent saturation of Al as 10-30% of CEC (5) may be a more accurate indicator of active and

plant toxic levels of Al No difference was seen in plant tissue Al or Mn for chickpea or canola, in the first season following the surface-application of fine-particle lime materials• Mn toxicity causes leaf spotting in many cereal crops and yellowing of leaf margins and leaf

cupping in legumes and brassicas• Sufficiency levels of Mn for wheat are between 26 and 150mg/kg (10)• Mn levels in plant tissue that are above 100mg/kg in cereal crops (1) can result in toxicity

symptoms• In legumes, high levels of Mn in soil inhibit the symbiotic N-fixing bacteria associated with

legumes and negatively impact the crop (4) • Legumes with tissue tests ranging from 300-600mg/kg (7) show yield reduction• In canola, Conyers (9) found that toxicity symptoms appeared with leaf Mn concentrations of

800- over 1500 mg/kgNo biomass or yield differences were seen for either canola or chickpea during the 2014 crop year, regardless of the lime source or rate• Crop year conditions or high variability within the data could affect the results • Alternatively, the treatments have not yet impacted the “critical/root zone” where the pH is

lowest and Al and Mn levels are highest • Differences in the crop may be seen with time • Another possibility is that the Al and Mn in the soil may not be at sufficient levels to induce

Al toxicity or they may not be in plant-toxic forms, organic matter could be binding these metals and making them less problematic (2)

References:1. Brito, Isabel, Mario Carvalho, Luis Alho, and Michael J. Goss. “Managing Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi for Bioprotection: Mn Toxicity.” Soil Biology & Biochemistry 68 (January 2014): 78–84. doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.09.018.2. Brown, Tabitha T., Richard T. Koenig, David R. Huggins, James B. Harsh, and Richard E. Rossi. “Lime Effects on Soil Acidity, Crop Yield, and Aluminum Chemistry in Direct-Seeded Cropping Systems.” Soil Science Society of America Journal 72, no. 3 (2008): 634. doi:10.2136/sssaj2007.0061.3. Caires, Eduardo F., Luís R. F. Alleoni, Michel A. Cambri, and Gabriel Barth. “Surface Application of Lime for Crop Grain Production Under a No-Till System.” Agronomy Journal 97, no. 3 (2005): 791. doi:10.2134/agronj2004.0207.4. Foy, C. D., R. L. Chaney, and M. C. White. “The Physiology of Metal Toxicity in Plants,” 1978.5. Havlin, Samuel L. Tisdale, Werner L. Nelson, James D. Beaton John L. Soil Fertility and Fertilizers. 8th edition. Prentice Hall of India, 2013.6. Mahler, R. L., A. R. Halvorson, and F. E. Koehler. “Long-Term Acidification of Farmland in Northern Idaho and Eastern Washington 1.” Communications in Soil Science & Plant Analysis 16, no. 1 (1985): 83–95. 7. Marschner, Horst. Marschner, Petra. Marschner’s Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants, Third Edition. 3 edition. London ; Waltham, MA: Academic Press, 2011.8. McBride, Murray B. Environmental Chemistry of Soils. New York: Oxford University Press, 1994.9. J. Sergio Moroni, Mark Conyers, Graeme Poile, and Neil Wratten. “Quantifying the Impact of High Manganese (Mn) on Canola under Field Conditions.” Ballarat Victoria, 2009.10. E.E. Schulte, and K.A. Kelling. “Soil and Applied Manganese.” Understanding Plant Nutrients UW Extension, no. A2526 (1999).11. Sparks, Donald L. Soil Science Society of America, American Society of Agronomy, and G.W. Thomas. Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 3, Chemical Methods. Madison, Wis: Soil Science Society of America, 1996.12. Van Lierop, W. “Chapter 5: Soil pH and Lime Requirement Determination.” In Soil Testing and Plant Analysis, 73–120. SSSA 3. Madison, Wis: Soil Science Society of America, 1990.

• Soil pH 1:1 water (12)

• KCl extractable Al• DTPA extractable

Mn (10)• Plant biomass was

dried and ground and sent to a certified laboratory for analysis of Al and Mn

• Statistical analysis was done using SAS 9.3 with Tukey LSD significance of 0.1

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KCl Al ppm

Spring soil Al after fall surface lime treatments at PCFS

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Spring soil Al after fall surface lime treatments at Rockford

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Mn ppm

Spring soil Mn after fall surface lime treatments at PCFS

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Acknowledgements: Funded by the Washington Grain Commission.

Thanks to Shane Mcfarland and the Huggins lab crew for technical and moral support!

Results:There was no significant difference between the lime treatments with chickpea or canola above-ground biomass, or chickpea yield (data not shown)

Concentration of soil exchangeable Al at the 0-2cm depth was reduced significantly between the 2000 lbs/ac and control treatments at both sites

Concentration of Mn at the surface depth (0-2 cm) was reduced under the 2000 lbs/ac rate of fluid lime at both sites as well as sugar lime at PCFS

Plant tissue concentrations of aluminum (Al) and manganese (Mn) showed no significant difference between treatments

Soil pH at the surface depth of 0-2 cm, increased significantly between the 2000 lbs/ac rate application of both lime sources and the controls

As pH decreased Mn increased at PCFS and at both sites Al increased exponentially

Above map from R. Koenig: used with permission

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Spring soil pH after fall surface lime treatments at PCFS

Control

Fluid Lime 200 lbs/ac




Sugar Lime 400 lbs/ac


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Spring soil pH after fall surface lime treatments at Rockford

Control







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Mn ppm

Spring soil Mn after fall surface lime treatments at Rockford

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remediation of stratified soil acidity through surface...

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