Soil acidification and the importance of liming agricultural soils with particular reference to the United Kingdom

K. W. T. Goulding

doi:10.1111/sum.12270

journal article Open Access Jun 24, 2016

Soil acidification and the importance of liming agricultural soils with particular reference to the United Kingdom

K. W. T. Goulding

Soil Use and Management Vol. 32 No. 3 pp. 390-399 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1111/sum.12270

Abstract

Abstract

Soil acidification is caused by a number of factors including acidic precipitation and the deposition from the atmosphere of acidifying gases or particles, such as sulphur dioxide, ammonia and nitric acid. The most important causes of soil acidification on agricultural land, however, are the application of ammonium‐based fertilizers and urea, elemental S fertilizer and the growth of legumes. Acidification causes the loss of base cations, an increase in aluminium saturation and a decline in crop yields; severe acidification can cause nonreversible clay mineral dissolution and a reduction in cation exchange capacity, accompanied by structural deterioration. Soil acidity is ameliorated by applying lime or other acid‐neutralizing materials. ‘Liming’ also reduces N
2
O emissions, but this is more than offset by
CO
2
emissions from the lime as it neutralizes acidity. Because crop plants vary in their tolerance to acidity and plant nutrients have different optimal
pH
ranges, target soil
pH
values in the
UK
are set at 6.5 (5.8 in peaty soils) for cropped land and 6.0 (5.3 in peaty soils) for grassland. Agricultural lime products can be sold as ‘
EC
Fertiliser Liming Materials’ but, although vital for soil quality and agricultural production, liming tends to be strongly influenced by the economics of farming. Consequently, much less lime is being applied in the
UK
than required, and many arable and grassland soils are below optimum
pH
.

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Metrics

714

Citations

48

References

Details

Published: Jun 24, 2016
Vol/Issue: 32(3)
Pages: 390-399
License: View

Authors

K

K. W. T. Goulding

Department of Sustainable Soils and Grassland Systems Rothamsted Research Harpenden AL5 2JQ UK

Funding

Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

Cite This Article

K. W. T. Goulding (2016). Soil acidification and the importance of liming agricultural soils with particular reference to the United Kingdom. Soil Use and Management, 32(3), 390-399. https://doi.org/10.1111/sum.12270

Soil acidification and the importance of liming agricultural soils with particular reference to the United Kingdom

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