Adane, A.

Beyene, S.

Schoenau, J.J.

English

University of Saskatchewan Research Archive

Addition of Lime and Gypsum to Ethiopian Soils to Enable Lentil Growth  A.Adaneab, J. Schoenaub, and S. Beyeneb aHawassa University, College of Agriculture, Ethiopia b University of Saskatchewan Department of Soil Science, Canada Introduction  Grain legumes generally are considered as salt  and pH sensitive. The salinity effect on nitrogen fixation is an explanation for its salt sensitivity (Katerji et al., 2001). Soil pH is also widely ac-cepted as a dominant factor that regulates soil nutrient bioavailability, plant primary productivi-ty and a range of soil processes including soil microbial community structure and activity (Robson, 1989).  At present, our knowledge of the effect of pH on soil nutrient availability is poor in Ethiopia. Fur-thermore, there are significant regions of acidic and sodic soils that are being considered for pro-duction of grain legumes like lentil. An experi-ment was conducted to examine the effectiveness of lime and gypsum as amendments to improve properties of acidic and sodic soils of Ethiopia.  Materials and methods   The study was conducted on soils of Southern Nations Nationalities and people’s regional state, Ethiopia.  Acidic soils near Hagereselam and sodic soils near Alage were collected and a pot experiment was set up. Different rates of lime 0,50%, 100%(6.5 ton/ha) and 150% were applied to acidic Hagereselam soils, while gypsum at rate of 0,50%, 100%(11.2 ton/ha) and 150%  was applied to Alage soil followed by four pore volumes of water for leaching.  Leachates were analyzed for cations  and soils analyzed for pH and electrical conductivity. Results  Table 1. Total amount of cations leached from Alage soil amended at rates of gypsum from 0 to 150% of the theoretical gypsum requirement   Table 2 Amount of cations leached in different pore volumes of water   PV= pore volume  Treatment Ca Mg K Na ppm 0 % 9.40c 0.087b 13.10b 1423.44b 50 % 94.66b 0.11a 40.22a 2655.65a 100 % 200.47a 0.05c 45.52a 2796.71a 150 % 212.51a 0.04c 45.53a 2904.39a SE 7.95 0.0097 2.49 133.22  Ca Mg K Na ppm 1st PV 140.48a 0.10a 56.04a 3879.35a 2nd PV 139.35a 0.06bc 40.50b 2639.02b 3rd PV 124.24ab 0.07b 28.02c 1813.82c 4th PV 112.98b 0.04c 19.81d 1448.01c SE 7.955 0.0097 2.49 133.22 Fig. 2 Effect of gypsum  on pH, EC of  Alage soil (sodic) soil. Discussion   Gypsum amendment and leaching was effective in re-moving cations and reducing pH (Tables 1,2 and Fig. 1).  As the area is dry and water limits crop production, gyp-sum @ 50-100%  and 3 pore volumes of water is recom-mended. Higher rates of gypsum increased soil E.C.  For the acid  Hagereselam soil, the pH increased from 4.4 to 7.3 through the application of lime.  150% of the lime requirement was required to bring the soil to neutral pH value which is ideal for production of many grain legume crops.  Acknowledgement The authors are thankful to the IDRC for providing Fund. Fig. 1  Effect of lime on pH, EC of  Hagereselam (acidic) soil. 1.41.61.82024680% 50% 100% 150%EC(ms)pH% of limepH EC02460510150% 50% 100% 150%EC(ms)pH% of gypsumpH ECReferences Robson, A.D., 1989. Soil Acidity and Plant Growth. Academic Press, Sydney. ISBN 0125906552. Katerji, N., Van Hoorn, J.W., Hamdy, A., Mastrorelli, M., 2001. Salt tolerance of crops according to three classifications methods and examination of some hypothesis about salt tolerance. Agric. Wat. Manage. 47, 1–8. 

Addition of lime and gypsum to Ethiopian soils to enable lentil growth

https://harvest.usask.ca/bitstream/10388/9058/1/A.%20Adane%20et%20al.%2c%202013.pdf

Addition of lime and gypsum to Ethiopian soils to enable lentil growth

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