Soil acidity, liming and soybean performance under no-till

Soil Acidity and Liming

Soil pH, soil acidity, and their effects on plants The pH scale, ranging from 0 to 14, is used to indicate acidity and alkalinity. pH is a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions (symbol = H) in the water contained in the soil. A pH of 7.0 is neutral, values below 7 are acidic, and those above 7 are alkaline (basic). The lower the pH, the more acid the soil. Each unit pH drop indicates te...

Soil Acidity and Liming in Tropical Fruit Orchards

Based on these figures, it is no exaggeration to say that more than one-third of the Brazilian annual wealth is supported by a single natural resource: the soil. This justifies the impor‐ tance of studies on how to preserve and improve this valuable resource. According to [2], soils have natural limits to their ability to nourish plants and sustain crop productivity. The degradation of soil qua...

Crop Residue Removal and Soil Productivity with No-Till Corn, Sorghum, and Soybean

Crop residues have been considered during the past decade as alternate energy sources to supplement dwindling fossil fuel sources and enhance energy independence in the United States. Agricultural scientists have demonstrated the importance of crop residues in reducing soil erosion, enhancing the soil physical environment for plant growth, and as a reserve for major crop nutrients. In eastern N...

Macropore flow estimations under no-till and till systems

SOIL pH AND LIMING

When crops do not grow well, one of the first question an agronomist is likely to ask is “What is the pH of the soil?” The reason for this question is that soil pH tells us more about a soils ability to produce crops that any other single measurement. A measurement of soil pH is like a doctor’s measurement of a patient’s temperature. It gives an indication something may or may not be wrong, but...