Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Lime
Lime
Lime
What is lime? (Or liming material)
Lime is a material that is used in acid soils to raise the pH
and eliminate the adverse effects on plant growth and make the soil
condition favorable for plant growth.
In strict chemical term, lime is a calcium oxide (CaO).
But, in practical term, a material containing the carbonates, oxides and/or
hydroxides of calcium and magnesium used to neutralize soil acidity is
known as lime.
# liming in the addition of lime materials in…..
• When & why liming materials are used?
Lime can be applied at any time between the harvest of
one crop & the planting of the next. The major constituents are the
availability of the lime & convenience of spreading. Lime is usually
broadcasted on the soil surface before tillage operations so that the soil &
lime are mixed to increase soil & lime contact.
Strongly acid soils are not productive for most crops. To
increase the productivity of acid soils, the addition of lime is essential for the
following reasons:
i. The addition of lime rises the soil pH
ii. By the addition of lime, the problems of acid soil, i.e. Al,
Mn toxicity, & Ca, Mg deficiency etc are mostly
overcome
iii. Lime monitors the physiological balance of plant
nutrients in the soil.
iv. Lime increases the activities of N-fixing bacteria which
increases the availability of nitrogen.
v. Beneficial soil bacteria are encouraged by adequate
supplies of lime in the soil.
vi. Lime reduces the loss of nitrogen from soils.
vii. A good liming program improves the physical condition
of the soil by decreasing its bulk density, increasing its
infiltration capacity & increasing its rate of percolation of
water.
viii. Liming improves soil structure by increasing microbial
activities.
2
Calcium oxide:
Calcium oxide (CaO) is the only material to which the
term lime may be correctly applied. Commercially it is also known as
unslacked lime, burned lime or quick-lime, or often simply as the ‘oxide’.
CaO is a white powder, shipped in paper bags because
of its caustic properties. It is manufactured by roasting/heating limestone
(CaCO3) in a furnace, driving of the CO2
CaCO3(Calcite) + Heat CaO + CO2
CaMg(CO3)2 (Dolomite) + Heat CaO + MgO +2CO2
Slags:
Blast furnace slag(CaSiO3) is a by-product of the
manufacture of pig iron. In the reduction of Fe, the CaCO3 in the charge
losses its CO2 and forms CaO, which combines with the molten Si to
produce a slag that is either air-cooled or quenched with water.
Silicic acid, formed when slag is added to acid soils,
is quickly dissociated; thus, the pH of the soil is raised. The neutralized
value of blast furnace slags ranges from about 75% to 90%, and they
usually contain appreciable amounts of Mg.
Basic slag is a by-product of the open-hearth method of
making steel from pig-iron, which in turn, is produced from high-P-Fe
ores. The impurities in the Fe, including Si & P, are removed with lime.
In addition to its P content, basic slag has a neutralized value of about 60-
70%. It is generally applied for its P content rather than as liming
material, but because of its neutralized value it is a good material to use
on low-P, acid soils.
Electric-furnace slags are produced from the electric-
furnace reduction of phosphate rock in the preparation of elemental P and
in the manufacture of pig iron & steel. The slag is formed when the Si
and CaO fuse, producing Ca silicate. The electric-furnace slag contains
0.9 to 2.3% P2O5, and the neutralized value ranges from 65 to 80%.
Miscellaneous liming materials:
Other materials that are used as liming agents in
localized areas close to their source include-
i. Ground oyster shell
ii. Wood ashes
iii. Bone meal (Ca3(PO4)2)
iv. By-product lime resulting from peppermills, sugar beat
plants, tameries and water-softening plants
v. Fly ash from coal-burning power generating plants
vi. Sludge from water treatment plants
vii. Cottrell lime or flue dust from cement manufacturing
viii. Sugar lime
ix. Carbide lime
x. Pulp mill lime
xi. Acetylene lime
xii. Packing house lime, and so on.
These miscellaneous liming materials contain varying
amounts of Ca & Mg.
6
OR,
The common liming materials are:
1. Calcic limestone (CaCO3), which is ground limestone.
2. Dolomitic limestone [CaMg(CO3)2] from high in Mg.
3. Quick lime (CaO), which is burned lime
4. Hydrated (slacked) lime [Ca(OH)2], from quicklime
that has changed to the hydroxide form as a result of
reactions with water.
5. Marl(CaCO3), from the bottom of small ponds in
areas where the soils are high in lime. The lime has
accumulated by precipitation from drainage waters
high in lime. Some marls contain many shell remains
from marine animals.
6. Chalk(CaCO3), resulting from soft limestone.
7. Blast-furnace slag(CaSiO3 & CaSiO4), a by-product of
the iron industry. Some slags contain phosphorus & a
mixture of CaO and Ca(OH)2. This product is called
‘basic slag’ and is used primarily for its phosphorus
content.
8. Miscellaneous sources, such as ground oyster shell,
wood ashes and by-product lime resulting from
peppermills, sugar beat plants, tanneries, and water-
softening plants.
[ Gypsum (CaSo4) is sometimes added to soil to supply calcium, but it has
no influence on soil pH & therefore is not considered to be a liming
material.
Reaction of lime in the soil:
When liming materials are added to a soil the calcium &
magnesium compounds react with CO2 and with the acid colloidal complex.
Reaction with Carbon-dioxide:
When applied to an acid soil, all liming material whether
the oxide, hydroxide or carbonate reacts with CO2 and H2O to yield the
bicarbonate form.
The CO2 partial pressure in the soil, usually several
hundred times greater than that in atmospheric air, is generally high enough
to drive such reaction to the right. For example:
CO2 + H2O + 2CO2 Ca(HCO3)2
Ca(OH)2 + 2CO2 Ca(HCO3)2
H+ Micelle
Micelle +Ca (HCO3)2 Ca²+ +2H2O
H+
(in solution)
H+ Micelle
+CaCO3 Ca²+ H2O +CO2
H+ (solid phase)
Al³+ Ca²+
H+ Clay or Ca++
Clay or humus
humus
+ 2CaCO3 + H2O + Al (OH)3 + 2CO2
(Dolomitic limestone)
The Ca & Mg bicarbonates are much more soluble than are the
carbonates, so the bicarbonates formed is quite reactive with the
exchangeable & residual acidity in acid soils.[In both cases the Ca++ &
Mg++ replace H+ & Al³+ on the colloidal complex].
4. N-fixation:
Symbiotic & non-symbiotic N2 fixation is favored by adequate
liming. Activity of some Rhizobia species is greatly restricted by soil pH
levels below 6.0, thus liming will increase the growth of legumes because of
increased N2 fixation. With the non-symbiotic N2-fixing organisms, N2-
fixation increases in adequately limed soils, which increases the degradation
of crop residues.
5. Soil physical condition:
The structure of fine-textured soils may be improved by liming,
as a result of an increase in the organic matter content and of the flocculation
of Ca-saturated clay.
Favorable effects of lime on soil structure include reduced soil
crusting, better emergence of small-seeded crops, and lower power
requirements for tillage operations.
Ca also improves the physical conditions of sodic soils.
Increased electrolyte concentration due to CaCO3 dissolution is responsible
for preventing clay dispersion and decreases in hydraulic conductivity of
such soils.
6. Disease:
Correction of soil acidity by liming may have a significant role
in the control of certain plant pathogens.
Club root is a disease of cole crops that produces yields and
causes the infected roots to enlarge and become distorted. Lime does not
directly affect the club root organism, but at soil pH greater than 7.0,
germination of club root spores is inhibited.
[On the other hand, liming will increase the incidence of
diseases such as scab in root crops.]
Chemical guarantee of lime:
The chemical composition liming materials affects the rate of
reaction of these compounds with soils. The chemical composition of
limestone determines their long-term effects on soil pH. The effects of
liming are so important that they have been recognized in laws governing
the scale of liming materials. These laws require guarantees as to the
chemical composition of limes, the composition usually being listed in terms
of one or more of the following:
1. Content of elemental Ca & Mg
2. Conventional oxide content (percentages of CaO & MgO)
3. CaO equivalent (neutralizing ability of all compounds
expressed in terms of CaO).
14
Procedure:
1. 20 gm of soil sample is taken in each of the 8 beakers of 50 ml.
2. Then 0.02, 0.04, 0.06, 0.08, 0.10, 0.12, 0.14 gm of Ca(OH)2 is
added to the beakers one after another. One beaker is considered as
blank Ca(OH)2 is not added.
3. Soil & Ca(OH)2 is mixed well by stirring rod. Thereafter, 6ml of
water is added to each beaker and the suspension is mixed
thoroughly with glass rod.
4. Then the top of the beakers are well packed with Para films and
left untouched for 1 month.
5. After, 1 month, the pH values are measured with the help of the pH
meter and a curve is drawn with the obtained values against the
amount of Ca(OH)2 used.
Calculation:
Suppose, the soil has to make of pH 7.0, then the amount of
Ca(OH)2 is got 0.06 ppm/0.06g.
So,
20gm soil require 0.06gm Ca(OH)2