Stress Responses of Crops and Management Approaches in Acid Soil Environments | Chapter 2 | Agricultural Sciences: Techniques and Innovations Vol. 5

 

Acidic soils (pH <5.5) are prevalent in humid subtropical and tropical regions, primarily due to leaching from heavy rainfall. These soils often contain harmful elements like manganese and aluminium, negatively impacting plant growth. Different crops react differently to low pH; rice thrives in such conditions, while wheat and maize show slight tolerance. Legumes struggle more with aluminium toxicity, inhibiting nitrogen fixation and reducing biomass. Effective management strategies, including liming and organic amendments, can enhance nutrient availability. However, acidic soils often have low water-holding capacity, causing drought stress, affecting overall crop health and yields. Management strategies for acid soils are essential in enhancing crop productivity. Lime application increases soil pH and nutrient availability, ideally conducted in fall or early spring after soil testing. Incorporating organic matter like compost improves soil structure and buffers soil pH. Utilising ammonium-based fertilisers and phosphate solubilisers aids in nutrient management. To detoxify aluminium and manganese, resistant crop varieties and soil amendments (liming materials) can be used. Climate change negatively impacts soil health through altered rainfall and temperature, leading to heightened soil acidity. Heavy rainfall leaches nutrients and exacerbates soil structure issues. Adopting adaptive management practices, such as the application of liming materials, organic amendments, and the adoption of suitable crop rotation, is crucial for maintaining soil health. Thus, this chapter highlights the challenges, crop responses, and management approaches of acid soil for sustaining crop production.

 

Author(s) Details

Subhajit Dutta
Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Palli Siksha Bhavana (Institute of Agriculture), Visva-Bharati, Sriniketan-731236, West Bengal, India.

 

Manik Chandra Kundu
Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Palli Siksha Bhavana (Institute of Agriculture), Visva-Bharati, Sriniketan-731236, West Bengal, India.

 

Please see the book here :- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/asti/v5/6411

Improving Grain Legume Yields in Gurué District, Mozambique Using Local Evate Rock Phosphate | Chapter 13 | Research Advances and Challenges in Agricultural Sciences Vol. 4

Acid, infertile reddish-brown soils characterize large amounts of central Mozambique. Few of these soils are in food production representing a missed opportunity for agricultural productivity and a missed alternative to improve the food security of the country. These soils are mainly depleted of macronutrients such as N, P and K. Low levels of soil nutrients such as calcium, phosphorus, and potassium limit crop growth. Therefore, while N can be obtained from the air by biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) and organic sources, P and K as well others (Ca and Mg) must be provided from rocks and minerals. Local agricultural amendments for acid, infertile soils such as limestone and rock phosphate exist but are unexploited. An experiment was conducted to assess the feasibility of using local Evate rock phosphate (~ 40.7% total P2O5) as a corrective to supply phosphorus. The rock phosphate was applied at rates of ~ 20, 40, 80 and 160 kg total P ha-1. For a comparison, triple super phosphate was also added at four P levels (~0, 10, 20 and 40 kg P ha-1). A long growth cycle crop of pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan L., Mill sp. variety “ICAEP00020”) with a growth cycle of 190 days was used to assess effectiveness of the local rock phosphate. A pigeon pea grain yield of 1000 kg grain ha-1 was possible with an application of 80 kg ha-1 of total P added as Evate rock phosphate. By comparison 20 kg P ha-1 as TSP was needed to reach a maximum yield of pigeon pea grain. This ratio suggests that Evate rock phosphate was 25% as effective as TSP on a total P basis. This research suggests that the Evate rock phosphate can be an effective amendment that can enable or enhance food grain production on the acid, infertile upland soils of Central Mozambique. Whether for direct application for acid-tolerant crops on acid soils or processed into soluble fertilizer phosphate, the existence of such a valuable resource provides a great opportunity for improved local food crop production.

Author(s) Details:

António Rocha,
Agri-Food Department, SNV Netherlands Development Organization, Avenida Tomás Nduda, N° 1214, Bairro da Polana Cimento, Maputo, Mozambique.

Ricardo Maria,
Instituto de Investigações Agronómica de Moçambique, Mozambique.

Rogério Rafael,
Departamento de Engenharia Rural, Faculdade de Agronomia e Engenharia Florestal, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Secção de Ciência de Solos, Maputo, Mozambique.

Job Fugice,
International Fertilizer Development Center, Muscle Shoals, Alabama, USA.

Upendra Singh,
International Fertilizer Development Center, Muscle Shoals, Alabama, USA.

Unasse Saide Uaite,
Institute Medium Agro, Industrial of Gurué, Mozambique.

Kim Falinski,
Nature Conservancy, Hawai’i, USA.

Russell Yost,
University of Hawai’i at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawai’i, USA.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/RACAS-V4/article/view/13587