A liming study on nine prominent Maryland soils

106 Pages·06.932 MB·English

by  Hoyert, John H

APFEOVAL SHEET
John Harry Hoyert, Jr. Ph.D., 19$1
Major* S oils, Department of Agronomy
Title of Thesist A Diming Study on Mine Prominent
Maryland Soils
Thesis and Abstract approved*
Professor in Charge of~"Thesis
Datet January 8, 1SS1
ABSTRACT
John Harry Hoyert, J r., Ph.D. 1951
Major: Soils, Department of Agronomy
T itle of Thesis: A Liming Study n Nine Prominent Maryland S oils.
Thesis directed by Dr. J. I. Axley
Pages in Thesis, 9?u Lords in abstract, $00.
A liming invest! gat ion v*as conducted on nine representative
soils of Maryland. The importance of liming practices to agriculture
were discussed along with a brief h isto rical review of liming invest­
igations. The need for a comparative lime study as a reference for
making lime recommendations for Maryland soils was pointed out.
Field experiments were set up on ’fattapex s ilt loam, Matawan
sandy loam, Sassafras s ilt loam, 'ionrnouth loamy sand, /lenelg loam,
Chester s ilt loam, DuffieId s ilt loan, and Emory s ilt loam so ils.
These soils were investigated over a three year period to determine
the influence of chemically equivalent amounts of coarse, medium and
fine grades of limestone, as well as burnt lime and hydrated liioe.
Each of these five lining m aterials was applied at two widely different
rates. The effects of these various liming treatm ents on crop response,
so il pH values, and exchangeable cations ¥/ere examined ov means of
field plot technique and laboratory analyses.
It was reported from the so il pH investigations that a ll
liming treatm ents employed increased the so il pH above the pH value of
the untreated so ils. However, the differences within the various
liming treatments were not shovm to be very great. The hydrated form,
of lime v?as shown to give the greatest effect on the so il pH value*
The different grades of fineness of limestone in the heavier application
rates used in this investigation did not give significant differences to
so il pH, It was concluded that an increase in the quantity of liming
m aterial added to the so il produced a larger increase in so il pH, The
greatest change in so il reaction was shewn to occur w ithin the firs t two
to four months after the liming treatm ent.
The data, concerning the influence of liming upon the exchangeable
cations, indicated that liming resulted in a decrease of exchangeable
hydrogen in the soils treated with both light and heavy applications of
lime when compared with the untreated so ils. It was estim ated that
approximately two m illiequivalonts of the liming m aterials used were re­
quired to replace one m illiequivalcnt of exchan '©able hydro ■•en for the
acid soils studied. Soils treated with heavy anpli cat ions of lira© showed
a significant increase in exchangeable calcium above the values of the
untreated so ils. The data, as analyzed for a ll the so il types, showed
no significant change in exchangeable potassium, magnesium, or manganese
with the liming treatm ents employed.
The results indicated that there was no general decrease in the
ab ility of any of the lime forms to persist in the so il over the three
year period.
The hay yields of this experiment were generally increased by
liming. The heavier rate of application did not give as great a hay
response as the lighter application. This experiment showed no trend
toward increased yields of corn or wheat.
A direct relationship between the pH and percentage hydrogen-
saturation was shown to ex ist for a large group of Maryland so ils. By
use of th is pH and percentage hydrogen-s&turation relationship, a rapid
and an Improved method of estim ating the lime needs of Maryland so ils
was proposed.

A LXM1NJ STUDY ON HIND PEOMXIfPNT
fSARYLAKD S0IT3
By
John Harry Hoyert, Jr.
Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School
of the University of 2iaryland in partial
fulfillm ent of the requirements for the
degree of Doctor of Philosophy
1951
UMI Number: DP70409
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The writer desires to express his appreciation to hr. R* ?. Thomas,
Dr. J. H* Ax ley, Dr. F. Striekling, and Mr. H. B. hinant for their
invaluable aid and many helpful suggestions.
He also wishes to acknowledge assistance received through his
selection as a Mational Lime Association Fellow.
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LIST OF TABU'S
Table T itle Page
1. location and Soil Type of Experimental P lo ts ..................... 8
2. Exchangeable Cations an Total Exchange Capacity of tbs
Surface Soil on the Plot Areas Prior to Lime Treatment# 10
3. Slew Analysis of the Three Limestone Grades Used in
the Liming .reatm ents. ........................... 11
hm Location of P lots, Soil Type, and Crops Grown During
F irst, Second, and 'Third Tear. . • . lit
5 . afethod of Lira© Application, Time Applied, and Uumber of
Plot® Used in this Study. ....................... Ip
6. The pH Values As Influenced by D ifferent Liming Treat­
ments on ’Jattapex S ilt Loam S oil, 1914? to 19t9.
(Princess Anne). 26
7. The pH Values As Influenced by liming Treatments on
M&taw&n Sandy Loam Soil Over a Three Year Period.
(Salisbury). ...................................... 27
8. The pH Values As Influenced by Liming Treatments on
*Mt9nmn Sandy Lo&m Soil Over a Three Year Period.
(Cordova). • • • • • • « * • • • • • • • • • • • • • * , .23
9. Hie pH Values As Influenced by Liming Treatments on
Sassafras S ilt Loam Soil Over a Three Tear Period.
(Chestertown). . ...................................... . . . . . . . . . . . 29
10. The pH Values As Influenced by Liming Treatments on
Monmouth Loamy Sand Soil Over a Two Tear Period.
(Marlboro). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ........................ . . 31
11. The pH Values As Influenced by Liming Treatments on
Glenelg Loam Soil Over a One Tear Period. (Ja rre tsv ille ). 33
12. The pH Values As Influenced by Liming Treatments on
Chester S ilt Loam Soil Over a 'Three Year Period.
(Sparks) . . . . . . . . .................................................... . . . . . 3I4
13. The pH Values As Influenced by Liming Treatments on
DuffleId S ilt Loam Soil Over a Three Tear Period.
(Frederick). 35
Ihm The pH Values As Influenced by Liming Treatments on
Emory S ilt Loam Soil Over a Three Year Period*
(Hagerstown)........................... . . . . . . . 3 6
Effect of Light Lime Applications on pH Values Compiled
For A ll Sampling Dates As Averaged for M&tt&pex, M&taw&n
(Salisbury), Mat&ir&n (Cordova), Sassafras, and Chester
Soil Series* 3?
Effect of Light Lime Applications on pH Values as Avera ed
For A ll Sampling Dates for H&ttapex, Mat&w&n (Salisbury),
M&taw&n (Cordova), Sassafras, and Chester Soil ,-cries. . 38
Effect of Heavy Lime Applications on pH Values Compiled
For All Sampling Dates as Averaged for E&tt&pex, Mat&w&n
(Cordova), Sassafras, Chester, Dufficld and Emory Soil
Series ..................................... 39
Effect of Heavy Liae Applications on pH Values as Averaged
For All Sampling Dates for Matt&peac, Xf&t&w&n (Cordova),
Sassafras, Chester, D uffield, and Emory Soil Series. • • • 1*0
The Exchangeable Cations as Influenced by Lining Treat­
ments on Maitapex S ilt Loam Surface S oil. (Princess Anne).16
The Exchangeable Cations as Influenced by Liming Treat­
ments on Ifattapex S ilt Loam Subsoil. (Princess Ann©)* * * 17
The Exchangeable Cations as Influenced by liming Treat­
ments on Tsat&wan Sandy Loam Surface S oil. (Salisbury)* * • IsS
The Exchangeable Cations as Influenced by Liming Treat­
ments on Matawan Sandy Loam Surface S o il. (Cordova)* * * * U9
The Exchangeable Cations as influenced by Liming Treat­
ments and Time on Sassafras S ilt Loam Surface Soil#
(Che s tertcsm ) « • . • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • * » • .50
The Exchangeable C it ions as Influenced by Liming Treat­
ments and Tim© on Sassafras S ilt Loam Subsoil.
(Chestertown). ....................... 51
The Exchangeable Cations as Influenced by Liming Treat­
ments on Monmouth Loamy Sand Surface S oil. (Marlboro)# » $2
Tli® Exchangeable Cations as Influenced by Liming Treat­
ments on Monmouth Loamy Sanu Subsoil, (i& rlboro). • • * . 53
The 'Exchangeable Cations as Influenced by Liming Treat­
ments on Elenelg Loam Surface S oil. (Ja rre isv illa ). * * . 51*
The Exchangeable Cations as Influenced by Liming Treat­
ments on Chester S ilt Loam Surface S oil. (Sparks). • . * . 55
The Exchangeable Cations a© Influenced by Liming Treat­
ments on Chester S ilt .Loam Subsoil. (Sparks). • • • • • * 56