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Aglime application for amelioration of acid yellow-red soil in South Anhui

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IPNI-1999-CHN-AH9

Overview Related Interpretive Summary
30 May 2001

1999 Annual Interpretive Summary


Research and extension of aglime application for amelioration of acid yellow-red soil in south Anhui province, 1999

Approximately 1.2 M ha of yellow-red soil exists in Anhui province, but this soil type is also widely scattered throughout southern China. Yellow-red soil characteristically has a low pH that ranges between 4.5 and 5.3, which places a restriction on its suitability for agricultural production. Aglime or dolomite application would bring a large area of land into high yield crop production. The first year of this study showed the combination of 1,100 kg dolomite/ha and 180-90-75 kg N-P2O5-K2O/ha promoted wheat plant growth and increased yield from 2.3 to 2.6 t/ha when compared to N-P2O5-K2O alone. This 13 percent increase also raised farmer net income by 195 Yuan/ha or US$23.70/ha. Dolomite improved soil quality by reducing exchangeable soil aluminum (Al) by 90 percent, raising soil pH by 0.49 units, and increasing the content of available N and K by 11.7 and 3.5 mg/kg, respectively. Dolomite application tempoarily decreased the potential availability of soil phosphorus (P), but results also showed consistent improvements in P, K, and Mg nutrition of wheat. Dolomite decreased the availability of micronutrients to some extent, but had little effect on their uptake. It did enhance N, P, and K uptake by 7.6, 3.6, and 6.5 kg/ha, respectively, and increased fertilizer recovery efficiency. The role of Ca supplied in dolomite was to slightly raise soil pH, but more significantly to eliminate Al and improve the availability of soil nutrients for plant uptake. Magnesium contained in dolomite corrected yield-limiting Mg soil deficiencies. ANHUI-09