Liming (soil)

Liming is the application of calcium- (Ca)

and magnesium (Mg)-rich materials in
various forms, including marl, chalk,
limestone, burnt lime or hydrated lime to
soil.[1] In acid soils, these materials react
as a base and neutralize soil acidity. This
often improves plant growth and increases
the activity of soil bacteria,[2] but
oversupply may result in harm to plant life.
Modern liming was preceded by marling, a
process of spreading raw chalk and lime
debris across soil, in an attempt to modify
pH or aggregate size.[3] Evidence of these
practices dates to the 1200's and the
earliest examples are taken from the
modern British Isles.[3]

Prepared agricultural lime staged near a field in the UK

Liming of a field in Devon

Impact on Soil Properties

Liming can also improve aggregate
stability on clay soils. For this purpose
structure lime, products containing
calcium oxide (CaO) or hydroxide
(Ca(OH)2) in mixes with calcium carbonate
(CaCO3), are often used. Structure liming
can reduce losses of clay and nutrients
from soil aggregates.[4] The degree to
which a given amount of lime per unit of
soil volume will increase soil pH depends
on the buffer capacity of the soil (this is
generally related to soil cation exchange
capacity or CEC).

Most acid soils are saturated with

aluminum rather than hydrogen ions. The
acidity of the soil is therefore a result of
hydrolysis of aluminum.[5] This concept of
"corrected lime potential"[6] to define the
degree of base saturation in soils became
the basis for procedures now used in soil
testing laboratories to determine the "lime
requirement" of soils.[7]

Soils with low CEC will usually show a

more marked pH increase than soils with
high CEC. But the low-CEC soils will
witness more rapid leaching of the added
bases, and so will see a quicker return to
original acidity unless additional liming is
done. Over-liming is most likely to occur
on soil which has low CEC, such as sand
which is deficient in buffering agents such
as organic matter and clay.[8]

Effect on soil organic carbon

The net effect of soil liming on soil organic

carbon is primarily the result of three
processes.[9]

1. Increased plant productivity resulting

in larger organic matter inputs. As
 soil liming ameliorates soil
conditions to plant growth, an
increase of plant productivity is
expected. The higher yields resulting
from lime applications will produce
increased returns of organic matter
to the soil in the form of dying roots
and decaying crop residue.[10]
2. Increased organic matter
mineralization due to a more
favorable pH. Lime applications are
known to have short-term stimulating
effects on soil biological activity, thus
favoring organic matter
mineralization and very likely
 accelerating organic matter turnover
rates in soil.[11]
3. Amelioration of soil structure, leading
to a reduction of mineralization by
means of a protection of soil organic
carbon. Liming is known to
ameliorate soil structure, as high Ca2+
concentrations and high ionic
strength in the soil solution to
enhance the flocculation of clay
minerals and in turn forming more
stable soil aggregates.[10]

An agricultural study at the Faculty of

Forestry in Freising, Germany that
compared tree stocks 2 and 20 years after
liming found that liming promotes nitrate
leaching and decreases the phosphorus
content of some leaves.[12]

See also
Alkali soils
Soil conservation
Soil pH
Agricultural lime
Aluminum

References
1. Pang, Ziqin; Tayyab, Muhammad; Kong,
Chuibao; Hu, Chaohua; Zhu, Zhisheng; Wei,
Xin; Yuan, Zhaonian (2019-11-26). "Liming
Positively Modulates Microbial Community
Composition and Function of Sugarcane
Fields" (https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fagrono
my9120808) . Agronomy. 9 (12): 808.
doi:10.3390/agronomy9120808 (https://do
i.org/10.3390%2Fagronomy9120808) .
ISSN 2073-4395 (https://www.worldcat.or
g/issn/2073-4395) .
2. Pang, Ziqin; Tayyab, Muhammad; Kong,
Chuibao; Hu, Chaohua; Zhu, Zhisheng; Wei,
Xin; Yuan, Zhaonian (2019-11-26). "Liming
Positively Modulates Microbial Community
Composition and Function of Sugarcane
Fields" (https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fagrono
my9120808) . Agronomy. 9 (12): 808.
doi:10.3390/agronomy9120808 (https://do
i.org/10.3390%2Fagronomy9120808) .
ISSN 2073-4395 (https://www.worldcat.or
g/issn/2073-4395) .
3. Mathew, W. M. (1993). "Marling in British
Agriculture: A Case of Partial Identity" (http
s://www.jstor.org/stable/40274955) . The
Agricultural History Review. 41 (2): 97–110.
ISSN 0002-1490 (https://www.worldcat.or
g/issn/0002-1490) .
4. Blomquist, Jens; Simonsson, Magnus;
Etana, Ararso; Berglund, Kerstin (2018-05-
19). "Structure liming enhances aggregate
stability and gives varying crop responses
on clayey soils" (https://www.tandfonline.c
om/doi/full/10.1080/09064710.2017.1400
096) . Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica,
Section B. 68 (4): 311–322.
doi:10.1080/09064710.2017.1400096 (http
s://doi.org/10.1080%2F09064710.2017.140
0096) . ISSN 0906-4710 (https://www.worl
dcat.org/issn/0906-4710) .
S2CID 90603635 (https://api.semanticscho
lar.org/CorpusID:90603635) .
5. Turner, R.C. and Clark J.S., 1966, Lime
potential in acid clay and soil suspensions.
Trans. Comm. II & IV Int. Soc. Soil Science,
pp. 208-215
6. "corrected lime potential (formula)" (http://s
is.agr.gc.ca/cansis/glossary/c/index.htm
l) . Sis.agr.gc.ca. 2008-11-27. Retrieved
2010-05-03.
7. "One Hundred Harvests Research Branch
Agriculture Canada 1886-1986" (http://epe.l
ac-bac.gc.ca/100/205/301/ic/cdc/agrican/
pubweb/hs270060.asp) . Historical series /
Agriculture Canada - Série historique /
Agriculture Canada. Government of
Canada. Retrieved 2008-12-22. Note this
link loads slowly
8. Soil Acidity and Liming (Overview) (http://h
ubcap.clemson.edu/~blpprt/acidity2_revie
w.html) Archived (https://web.archive.org/
web/20070509025229/http://hubcap.clem
son.edu/~blpprt/acidity2_review.html)
2007-05-09 at the Wayback Machine
9. Paradelo, R.; Virto, I.; Chenu, C. (2015-04-
01). "Net effect of liming on soil organic
carbon stocks: A review" (https://www.scie
ncedirect.com/science/article/pii/S016788
0915000067) . Agriculture, Ecosystems &
Environment. 202: 98–107.
doi:10.1016/j.agee.2015.01.005 (https://do
i.org/10.1016%2Fj.agee.2015.01.005) .
ISSN 0167-8809 (https://www.worldcat.or
g/issn/0167-8809) .
10. Haynes, R.J.; Naidu, R. (1998). "Influence of
lime, fertilizer and manure applications on
soil organic matter content and soil
physical conditions: a review" (https://dx.do
i.org/10.1023/a:1009738307837) . Nutrient
Cycling in Agroecosystems. 51 (2): 123–
137. doi:10.1023/a:1009738307837 (http
s://doi.org/10.1023%2Fa%3A10097383078
37) . ISSN 1385-1314 (https://www.worldca
t.org/issn/1385-1314) .
11. Briedis, Clever; Sá, João Carlos de Moraes;
Caires, Eduardo Fávero; Navarro, Jaqueline
de Fátima; Inagaki, Thiago Massao; Boer,
Adriane; Neto, Caio Quadros; Ferreira,
Ademir de Oliveira; Canalli, Lutécia Beatriz;
Santos, Josiane Burkner dos (2012-01-15).
"Soil organic matter pools and carbon-
protection mechanisms in aggregate
classes influenced by surface liming in a
no-till system" (https://www.sciencedirect.c
om/science/article/pii/S001670611100296
5) . Geoderma. 170: 80–88.
doi:10.1016/j.geoderma.2011.10.011 (http
s://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.geoderma.2011.1
0.011) . ISSN 0016-7061 (https://www.worl
dcat.org/issn/0016-7061) .
12. Huber C, Baier R, Gottlein A, Weis W.
Changes in soil, seepage water and needle
chemistry between 1984 and 2004 after
liming an N-saturated Norway spruce stand
at the Höglwald, Germany. Forest Ecology
and Management, 2006; 233; 11-20.

Further reading
Narendrula-Kotha, Ramya; Nkongolo,
Kabwe K. (2017-01-04). Gomes, Newton
CM (ed.). "Microbial Response to Soil
Liming of Damaged Ecosystems
Revealed by Pyrosequencing and
Phospholipid Fatty Acid Analyses" (http
s://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.01
68497) . PLOS ONE. 12 (1): e0168497.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0168497 (http
s://doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.016
8497) . ISSN 1932-6203 (https://www.w
orldcat.org/issn/1932-6203) .
PMC 5215397 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.ni
h.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5215397) .
PMID 28052072 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nl
m.nih.gov/28052072) .
Holland, J. E.; White, P. J.; Glendining, M.
J.; Goulding, K. W. T.; McGrath, S. P.
(2019-04-01). "Yield responses of arable
crops to liming – An evaluation of
relationships between yields and soil pH
from a long-term liming experiment" (htt
ps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar
 ticle/pii/S116103011830652X) .
European Journal of Agronomy. 105:
176–188. doi:10.1016/j.eja.2019.02.016
(https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.eja.2019.0
2.016) . ISSN 1161-0301 (https://www.w
orldcat.org/issn/1161-0301) .
PMC 6472519 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.ni
h.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6472519) .
PMID 31007524 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nl
m.nih.gov/31007524) .

Further reading
"A Study of the Lime Potential, R.C.
Turner, Research Branch, Department Of
Agriculture, 1965" (http://journals.lww.c
om/soilsci/Citation/1965/07000/A_Stu
 dy_of_the_Lime_Potential__5__Significa
nce_of.3.aspx)

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