Lime Requirement Comparison Between National Tabular Matrix and Standard Buffer pH Method
The Shoemaker, Mclean, and Pratt (SMP) buffer pH method is a widely adopted standard approach to quantify the lime requirement (LR) of soil worldwide. In the context of Nepal, a national tabular matrix (NTM) method, a blanket approach, is adopted to calculate LR to lessen the effect of soil acidity....
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Applied and Environmental Soil Science |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/aess/6641618 |
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| Summary: | The Shoemaker, Mclean, and Pratt (SMP) buffer pH method is a widely adopted standard approach to quantify the lime requirement (LR) of soil worldwide. In the context of Nepal, a national tabular matrix (NTM) method, a blanket approach, is adopted to calculate LR to lessen the effect of soil acidity. This study aims to identify disparities in LR for acidic soil between the standard SMP method and NTM method. To achieve this, a greenhouse experiment was conducted with 50 pretested acidic soil samples having sandy loam (n = 20), loam (n = 20), and clay loam (n = 10) textural classes. The samples were treated with lime rates obtained from both the NTM and SMP methods and were incubated for 8 months, with periodic soil pH measurements taken every month. The results showed a significant difference in neutralizing acidic soil between the two methods. NTM lime recommendation rate was found lower than SMP lime rate in sandy loam (3.2 times lower) and loam (1.8 times lower) soil but a higher rate (1.2 times higher) in clay loam soil. Due to this disparity in lime recommendation, the final soil pH was below the target pH of 6.4 in the NTM method for both sandy loam and loam soils but was found similar to clay loam soil. The final pH gained was significantly higher in SMP than the target pH in each texture, while NTM had a similar pH for sandy loam textured soil only. This study suggests that the NTM lime rates need revision, approximately with an increment of 3.2 times in sandy loam and 1.8 times in loam soil, while decreasing by 1.2 times in clay loam soil. A regression equation LR = 18.855−2.722∗IpH+1.146∗OM−0.068∗CC is proposed to determine LR based on initial soil pH (IpH), organic matter (OM), and clay content (CC), which closely resembles the SMP buffer pH recommendation rate (RMSE = 2.79) for neutralizing the acidic soil. |
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| ISSN: | 1687-7675 |