The effects of amelioration measures on the yield of maize grown on acid soil

Abstract

Low yields of the plants cultivated on the acid soils seem to be very frequent. There are myriad of reasons for this, such as poor physical properties of the soil, low content of humus, reduced solubility of some bio-genetic elements (P, Ca Mg) and a higher solubility of aluminum and manganese up to the level of toxicity.

In order to eliminate or, at least, reduce these harmful effects on the yield, the trials were set up using an excess of mobile aluminum and a range of the acidity neutralizing materials, such as, bentonite, agrozel, lifos, agromag and calcium oxide. The trials proceeded on the pseudogley type of soil with extremely acid reaction (pH/M KCI around 3.55) and a high content of mobile aluminum (over 37 mg/100 g soil).

Amelioration measures had a differing effect on the reducing soil acidity and on mobile aluminum content, as well, resulting in maize yield variations, primarily those in acidity itself.

The lowest average maize yield was achieved applying both lifos rates (5.30 and 5.34 t/ha), being somewhat higher in relation to the control (5.16 t/ha) from 2.7 to 3.5 %, but non-significant statistically. However, compared to the control, all the other materials were found to noticeably increase yield. Thus, the increase ranged from 18.6% on the variant with zeolite (the yield of 6.12 t/ha) up to 47.3% on that with several lime rates (the yield of 7.60 t/ha).