Effect of different materials on soil pH

Abstract

The great majority of Brazilian agricultural soils presents high acidity (pH H2O < 5,5) which is one of the main causes of low crop yields. These soils demand lime materials to increase their pH, to neutralize the toxic element effects, to supply calcium and magnesium as nutrients and to increase crop yields. This laboratory experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of different materials (calcinated and dolomitic limestone, scoria and gypsum) on soil pH, as affected by the applied dosis (2, 4 and 6 tons per hectare) and the incubation time (25, 50 and 75 days). It was concluded that: a) all materials, except gypsum, were efficient in increasing the soil pH; b) the lime material effect was related to its neutralization power, i.e., for the same dosis and time, the highest neutralization power had the highest effect on soil pH; c) among the used materials, the calcinated limestone determined the highest increase in soil pH, followed by the dolomitic limestone and scoria; d) the highest dosis for each material corresponded to the highest pH increase.