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NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT & SOIL & PLANT NUTRITION

Effects of Biological Nitrogen Reactions on Soil Lime Requirement Determined by Incubation

^a Kuo Testing Labs, Inc., 337 S. 1st Ave., Othello, WA 99344
^b Agricultural and Environmental Services Labs, 2400 College Station Rd., Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602
^c Dep. of Crop and Soil Sciences, 3111 Plant Sciences, Univ. of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602

^* Corresponding author (dkissel{at}uga.edu).

Incubation of soil with CaCO₃ is generally considered a reliable method to determine the lime requirement (LR) of acid soils. Because of their considered reliability, these incubations are often used to calibrate buffer methods; however, one study reported that the use of room temperature incubation with CaCO₃ overestimated the actual LR determined by field testing. The objective of this study was to compare the pH change following CaCO₃ incubations for 60 d with those following 3-d incubations with Ca(OH)₂ and to determine the possible role of soil N reactions causing any differences in pH change. Seventeen soils were incubated with either CaCO₃ for 60 d at approximately 85% field capacity or for 3 d with an equivalent amount of Ca(OH)₂ solution plus water to maintain a 1:1 soil/solution ratio. Both were incubated at room temperature (23 ± 2°C), followed by measurement of pH (1:1 in water). Ammonium-N and NO₃^––N were analyzed at Days 0 and 60 of the incubation. Soil pH was lower following the 60-d CaCO₃ incubation than after the 3-d incubation with Ca(OH)₂. The analysis of N transformations indicated that positive values of H⁺ (more H⁺ was produced than consumed) were generated from nitrification after 60 d of incubation in 14 out of 17 soils. Furthermore, incubations with soils that have been air dried produced a flush of nitrification that increased the ionic strength and decreased pH even further. These effects from long-term incubation would erroneously increase the LR. Incubation with Ca(OH)₂ for 2 to 4 d avoids these errors.

Abbreviations: CEC, cation exchange capacity • DI, deionized • EC, electrical conductivity • LR, lime requirement • MLRA, Major Land Resource Area