Chemical characteristics of representative high aluminium saturation soil as affected by addition of soil amendments in a closed incubation system.

Soil acidity is one of the main factors that limits profitable and sustained agricultural production. This study examined the performance of selected amendments in improving soil fertility of acidic tropical soils. The best two acidic tropical soils from Malaysia, Batu Anam and Durian, were selected to represent acid soils from Colombia while the five soil amendments selected were ground magnesium limestone (GML), magnesium carbonate (MgCO3), gafsa phosphate rock (GPR), gypsum, and kieserite. They were incubated in a closed incubation system for two months. The measured parameters were soil pH, exchangeable aluminium (Al), exchangeable cations, and available P. The treatments were organised in a factorial completely randomised design (CRD) with three replications. There was a significant difference in response among soils, amendments, rates and their interaction effects for the different soil parameters evaluated, with GML giving a high soil pH (0.339) effect and amelioration of the exchangeable Al (-0.838 cmolc/kg) per ton applied. MgCO3 and GPR gave similar effects in neutralising exchangeable Al (~ -0.6 cmolc/kg) per ton ha-1 with a slight increase in soil pH (0.1 unit). Kieserite and Gypsum had a significant effect on amelioration of aluminum ((~ -0.16 cmolc/kg) in Batu Anam soil. GML was the most cost-effective amendment in increasing soil pH and neutralising Al at USD$ 118.5 per cmolc/kg of Al.

[1]  M. Cea,et al.  Influence of Aluminum on the Growth and Organic Acid Exudation in Alfalfa Cultivars Grown in Nutrient Solution , 2009 .

[2]  E. Caires,et al.  Soil acidity and aluminium toxicity as affected by surface liming and cover oat residues under a no‐till system , 2008 .

[3]  J. Shamshuddin,et al.  Effects of Lime and Fertiliser Application in Combination with Water Management on Rice (Oryza sativa) Cultivated on an Acid Sulfate Soil , 2007 .

[4]  J. Talib,et al.  Soil physics analyses: volume 1 , 2006 .

[5]  R. Härdter,et al.  Oil palm: nutrient disorders and nutrient management : diagnosis, causes, prevention, treatment , 2005 .

[6]  F. Sikora.  Evaluating and quantifying the liming potential of phosphate rocks , 2002, Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems.

[7]  J. Shamshuddin,et al.  Effects of limestone and gypsum application to a Malaysian ultisol on soil solution composition and yields of maize and groundnut , 1991, Plant and Soil.

[8]  R. Fisher,et al.  Predicting the field performance of twelve commercial liming materials from southern Australia , 2004, Fertilizer research.

[9]  L. Borůvka,et al.  Possible method of aluminium speciation in forest soils. , 2003, Journal of inorganic biochemistry.

[10]  Z. Rengel,et al.  Fertility management of tropical acid soils for sustainable crop production. , 2003 .

[11]  J. R. Brown,et al.  Liming in Missouri in the 20th century , 2003 .

[12]  A. D. Noble,et al.  Soil acidification: the world story. , 2003 .

[13]  J. Jones.  Agronomic Handbook: Management of Crops, Soils and Their Fertility , 2002 .

[14]  J. Jones.  Laboratory Guide for Conducting Soil Tests and Plant Analysis , 2001 .

[15]  M. Munévar.  Fertilización de la palma de aceite para obtener altos rendimientos , 2001 .

[16]  S. Paramananthan.  Soils of Malaysia: their characteristics and identification, Volume 1. , 2000 .

[17]  Z. Rengel,et al.  Aluminium induces an increase in cytoplasmic calcium in intact wheat root apical cells , 1999 .

[18]  P. S. Chew,et al.  Ground magnesium limestone as a source of magnesium for mature oil palm on sandy soil in Malaysia , 1998 .

[19]  J. Hollis,et al.  Magnesium availability from kieserite and calcined magnesite on five soils of different pH , 1995 .

[20]  H. Ismail,et al.  Reactions of Ground Magnesium Limestone and Gypsum in Soils with Variable‐Charge Minerals , 1995 .

[21]  A. G. Sinclair,et al.  Effect of reactive phosphate rock on the pH of soil under pasture , 1993 .