Thesis
Liming no-till soils and determining lime requirement in the Palouse region
Washington State University
Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
05/2016
Handle:
https://hdl.handle.net/2376/102358
Abstract
Soil acidification, accelerated by the application of ammonium-based fertilizer, is becoming an issue of emerging concern in the Palouse region of Eastern Washington and Northern Idaho. Understanding the response of Palouse soils to lime is key to any efforts for ameliorating acidic conditions. The three overall objectives of this project were to: (1) assess the impact of surface applied fluid and sugar lime materials on stratified soil pH and associated properties of no-till soils; (2) assess lime requirement from laboratory incubations with CaCO3 and buffer test efficacy for Palouse soils; and (3) increase regionally relevant, science-based, information on soil acidification, liming and related agricultural management. Surface applied ultra-fine fluid and sugar lime at 2240 kg ha-1 , increased soil pH in the surface 2 cm by an average of 1.25 units at two research sites (near Pullman and Rockford, WA) within two years after application. Neither lime treatment, however, affected soil acidification beyond the 6-cm depth and did not address the lowest soil pH that averaged 4.5 at the 6 to 8-cm depth across the two sites, within two years following application. The lime treatments did not result in differences in measured crop response, likely due, in part, to failure of the treatments to significantly adjust soil pH levels in the most acidic soil zone. A laboratory incubation of ten major Palouse agricultural soils with initial pH values ranging from 4.4 to 5.3, indicated lime requirement values ranging from 3.36 to 8.36 Mg ha-1 to achieve a target pH of 6 for a 15-cm depth. The Modified Mehlich and Woodruff buffer tests correlated to laboratory incubations and provided more accurate lime requirement estimates for Palouse soils than currently recommended SMP and Adams and Evans buffer tests. Results were further improved using local calibrations based on the experimental data. A collection of fact sheets and videos on acidificiation, and were developed as topic-focused Extension materials. These have focused on the fundamentals of pH, the process of acidification in the Palouse, and managing crops, pathogens, herbicides and liming for acid soils. The materials are currently housed on the WSU Small Grains Website.
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Details
- Title
- Liming no-till soils and determining lime requirement in the Palouse region
- Creators
- Carol Renae McFarland
- Contributors
- David R. Huggins (Chair)Richard T Koenig (Committee Member) - Washington State University, Crop and Soil Sciences, Department ofLynne Alane Carpenter-Boggs (Committee Member) - Washington State University, Crop and Soil Sciences, Department ofDrew J. Lyon (Committee Member) - Washington State University, Crop and Soil Sciences, Department of
- Awarding Institution
- Washington State University
- Academic Unit
- Crop and Soil Sciences, Department of
- Theses and Dissertations
- Master of Science (MS), Washington State University
- Publisher
- Washington State University; [Pullman, Washington] :
- Number of pages
- 105
- Identifiers
- 99900525140301842
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Thesis