Evaluation and Validation of Simple and Quick Methods of Lime Rate Determination under Acid Soil-Affected Areas of West Shewa Zone, Ethiopia

Abstract

Liming acid soils is one of the available intervention options to amend soil acidity and increase crop production and productivity. The selection of a lime requirement determination easy and cheap method that is suitable to the soil conditions in a particular area is a pressing issue. Three lime requirement (LR) estimation methods i.e. (Exchangeable acidity, laboratory pH, and portable pH/Artikilee 3000) methods with one control treatment were tested in acid soils of the dhumuga learning watershed. A field study was conducted to verify the lime requirement (LR) by using portable pH methods and investigate the wheat response to lime. The treatments were laid out in an RCBD design with two farmers’ replications. The result showed that there a was significant (p<0.05) yield response to the liming. The highest grain yield of 5512.3kg ha 1 was obtained from lime treated with the pH method statistically at par with Exchangeable acidity and article 3000 methods. LR rates estimated by the Exchangeable acidity method were lower than those estimated by laboratory pH and portable pH/ Artikilee 3000. However, both methods (laboratory pH and portable pH/ Artikilee 3000) overestimated the lime requirements of the study soil. The exchangeable acidity method was lower than the LR estimated with the article 3000 method by an average of 38 %, which indicates article 3000 methods overestimated the LR for the present study area, while exchangeable acidity methods were found to be reliable estimation LR. Lime rates determined with the three lime testing methods (pH method, Portable pH or Artikilee 3000 and exchangeable acidity) gave yield advantages of 31.94, 24.93 and 20.45%, respectively over the non-limed treatment. From the results of this study, it was concluded that the exchangeable acidity method gives a more reliable estimation of the lime requirements of acid soils of the study area.