Soil Properties, Crop Yield, and Economic Return in Response to Lime Application on Acidic Nitisols of Southern Highlands of Ethiopia

Soil acidity is one of the major crop production constraints in the highlands of Ethiopia. Liming is becoming a common practice to amend soil acidity, but its effects on soil properties, crop yield, and farm income are not well studied. In this study, an on-farm liming experiment was conducted for t...

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Main Authors: Getahun Haile, Habtamu Berihun, Helina Abera, Agegnehu, Getachew, Mulugeta Lemenih
Format: Journal Article
Language:Inglés
Published: Wiley 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/155446
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author Getahun Haile
Habtamu Berihun
Helina Abera
Agegnehu, Getachew
Mulugeta Lemenih
author_browse Agegnehu, Getachew
Getahun Haile
Habtamu Berihun
Helina Abera
Mulugeta Lemenih
author_facet Getahun Haile
Habtamu Berihun
Helina Abera
Agegnehu, Getachew
Mulugeta Lemenih
author_sort Getahun Haile
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Soil acidity is one of the major crop production constraints in the highlands of Ethiopia. Liming is becoming a common practice to amend soil acidity, but its effects on soil properties, crop yield, and farm income are not well studied. In this study, an on-farm liming experiment was conducted for two consecutive years (2020-2021) on acidic Nitisols (pH < 5.5) in Southern Ethiopia. The experiment consisted of six liming rates (control, 2.74, 4.11, 5.48, 6.85, and 8.22 t·ha−1) laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Soil, agronomic, and economic data were collected in 2020 and 2021 cropping seasons and analyzed. The application of lime in the ranges of 2.74–8.22 t·ha−1 increased soil pH by 0.46–1.25 units and reduced exchangeable acidity by 2.02–3.17 units. Higher lime rates of 6.85–8.22 t·ha−1 increased soil pH sharply from 5.22 to 5.99 and 6.46, respectively, but such a rise in soil pH was not proportionally reflected in the yield increment. Higher available phosphorus contents of 7.16 and 6.01 mg·kg−1 were measured at the liming rates of 4.11 and 5.48 t·ha−1, respectively. Combined over the two years, 5.45 t·ha−1 lime application yielded the highest barley total biomass of 19,199 kg·ha−1 and a grain yield of 4,328 kg·ha−1, which are 46% and 30% higher than those of the control, respectively. It also yielded the highest marginal rate of return of 477% and a gross margin of 192,857.3 ETB1·ha−1, which is 53% higher than the control. Based on our results, 5.45 t·ha−1 of lime appears to have the optimal rate for economically viable barley production in the study area or similar environments.
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spelling CGSpace1554462024-11-15T08:52:01Z Soil Properties, Crop Yield, and Economic Return in Response to Lime Application on Acidic Nitisols of Southern Highlands of Ethiopia Getahun Haile Habtamu Berihun Helina Abera Agegnehu, Getachew Mulugeta Lemenih soil analysis soil toxicity agricultural production crop production plant nutrition yield components soil properties Soil acidity is one of the major crop production constraints in the highlands of Ethiopia. Liming is becoming a common practice to amend soil acidity, but its effects on soil properties, crop yield, and farm income are not well studied. In this study, an on-farm liming experiment was conducted for two consecutive years (2020-2021) on acidic Nitisols (pH < 5.5) in Southern Ethiopia. The experiment consisted of six liming rates (control, 2.74, 4.11, 5.48, 6.85, and 8.22 t·ha−1) laid out in a randomized complete block design with three replications. Soil, agronomic, and economic data were collected in 2020 and 2021 cropping seasons and analyzed. The application of lime in the ranges of 2.74–8.22 t·ha−1 increased soil pH by 0.46–1.25 units and reduced exchangeable acidity by 2.02–3.17 units. Higher lime rates of 6.85–8.22 t·ha−1 increased soil pH sharply from 5.22 to 5.99 and 6.46, respectively, but such a rise in soil pH was not proportionally reflected in the yield increment. Higher available phosphorus contents of 7.16 and 6.01 mg·kg−1 were measured at the liming rates of 4.11 and 5.48 t·ha−1, respectively. Combined over the two years, 5.45 t·ha−1 lime application yielded the highest barley total biomass of 19,199 kg·ha−1 and a grain yield of 4,328 kg·ha−1, which are 46% and 30% higher than those of the control, respectively. It also yielded the highest marginal rate of return of 477% and a gross margin of 192,857.3 ETB1·ha−1, which is 53% higher than the control. Based on our results, 5.45 t·ha−1 of lime appears to have the optimal rate for economically viable barley production in the study area or similar environments. 2023-12-29 2024-10-21T16:33:51Z 2024-10-21T16:33:51Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/155446 en Open Access application/pdf Wiley Getahun Haile, Habtamu Berihun, Helina Abera, Getachew Agegnehu, Mulugeta Lemenih. 2023. Soil Properties, Crop Yield, and Economic Return in Response to Lime Application on Acidic Nitisols of Southern Highlands of Ethiopia
spellingShingle soil analysis
soil toxicity
agricultural production
crop production
plant nutrition
yield components
soil properties
Getahun Haile
Habtamu Berihun
Helina Abera
Agegnehu, Getachew
Mulugeta Lemenih
Soil Properties, Crop Yield, and Economic Return in Response to Lime Application on Acidic Nitisols of Southern Highlands of Ethiopia
title Soil Properties, Crop Yield, and Economic Return in Response to Lime Application on Acidic Nitisols of Southern Highlands of Ethiopia
title_full Soil Properties, Crop Yield, and Economic Return in Response to Lime Application on Acidic Nitisols of Southern Highlands of Ethiopia
title_fullStr Soil Properties, Crop Yield, and Economic Return in Response to Lime Application on Acidic Nitisols of Southern Highlands of Ethiopia
title_full_unstemmed Soil Properties, Crop Yield, and Economic Return in Response to Lime Application on Acidic Nitisols of Southern Highlands of Ethiopia
title_short Soil Properties, Crop Yield, and Economic Return in Response to Lime Application on Acidic Nitisols of Southern Highlands of Ethiopia
title_sort soil properties crop yield and economic return in response to lime application on acidic nitisols of southern highlands of ethiopia
topic soil analysis
soil toxicity
agricultural production
crop production
plant nutrition
yield components
soil properties
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/155446
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