Effect of an acidifying nitrogen fertiliser and lime on soil pH and wheat yields. 1. Soil effects

Three long-term trials were commenced in 1980 at Merredin, Wongan Hills, and Newdegate to investigate the effect of an acidifying fertiliser containing 17.5% nitrogen (N) and 7.6% phosphorus (P) (based on ammonium sulfate and ammonium phosphate) on soil pH, soil acidity related problems, and wheat grain yields under continuous cropping. Treatments were 3 rates (kg/ha) of N + P applied with the cereal seed (nil; 17.5 N + 7.6 P; 35 N + 15.2 P), with or without 3 t/ha of ground limestone (with or without MgSO4, KCl, Moo3) applied in 1980. Two extra treatments were 2 rates of limestone (70, 140 kg/ha) topdressed with the cereal crop each year along with the low and high N + P fertiliser treatments, respectively. This paper reports soil properties for the first 10 years of the trials. In the acidic Merredin soil (pH 4.3), there was minimal effect of N + P fertiliser on soil pH. The pH was slightly reduced at 0-10 cm depth. At Wongan Hills, soil pH at 0-10 cm depth was reduced over time by N + P application from 4.8 to 4.2. At Newdegate, only the high rate of N + P reduced pH over time, from 4.6 to 4.3 at 0-10 cm. Limestone at 3 t/ha in 1980 increased soil pH at 0-10 cm depth at all 3 sites; however, in all cases pH fell with time. Limestone applied at 70 or 140 kgha with each N + P application increased pH at 0-10 cm depth by 0.1-0.4, 0.1-0.4, and 0.3-0.9 pH units at Merredin, Wongan Hills, and Newdegate. Soil aluminium (Al) concentrations (extracted in 0.01 mol CaCl2/L) were generally low at Wongan Hills and Newdegate in the absence of N + P fertiliser. These levels rose after N + P application to 4 and 2 �g/g at 0-10 cm depth at Wongan Hills and Newdegate. Soil A1 concentrations at Merredin were high, particularly in the subsoil: 3-5, 9-13, and 23-29 �g/g in the 0-10, 10-20, and 20-40 cm depths. With the high rate of N + P, A1 concentration rose to 10 �g/g at 0-10 cm. Application of 3 t/ha of limestone reduced this to <1-2 �g/g. Application of 140 kg/ha of limestone with the high N + P fertiliser rate lowered soil A1 concentration at 0-10 cm. Extra acid that accumulated in treated plots compared with control plots varied from -34.7 kmol/ha (acid-neutralised) for the treatment at Merredin receiving only 3 t lime/ha in 1980 to 23.8 kmol/ha for the treatment at Wongan Hills receiving high N + P. With the treatments receiving lime only, the amounts of acid neutralised were only 82, 66, and 58% of those predicted at Merredin, Wongan Hills, and Newdegate, respectively. Acid accumulation in the 3 treatments receiving high N + P was within the predicted range at Wongan Hills, as it was for the treatment receiving high N + P plus 3 t lime/ha in 1980 at both Merredin and Newdegate. However, for the treatments receiving only high N + P or high N + P plus 140 kg lime/ha. year at these 2 sites, the acid accumulation rates were less than predicted. Levels of exchangeable cations in the soil were highest at Wongan Hills and lowest at Newdegate. Application of N + P decreased Ca concentration at all sites and reduced the concentration of exchangeable Mg at Wongan Hills. Lime applied at 3 t/ha increased the concentrations of exchangeable Ca and Mg at all sites. There were no effects of treatments on concentrations of exchangeable K or sodium.