New, cheap technique to detect lime in soil

University of Adelaide scientists have developed a brand new easy, cheap and quick technique to detect and measure very low concentrations of agricultural lime in soils, which is mostly a time consuming and troublesome train.

The analysis is printed in main soil science journal Geoderma.

Ph.D. scholar and lead creator of the research Ruby Hume, developed this technique as a part of a Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA)-led and Grains Research and Development Corporation-funded venture, exploring novel approaches to handle the problem of sub-surface soil acidification in South Australia’s cropping areas.

“Soil acidity can be very damaging to crop production. Approximately 20 percent of agricultural land in South Australia is affected by the problem, and this number is expected to double over the next few decades,” mentioned Ms Hume.

“While it is not a new problem in South Australia, we are now seeing acidity in regions where it has not been an issue previously, such as in the Mid-North and the Yorke Peninsula, and clay-rich soils in the South East.”

Another huge situation the researchers say is the event of acid layers beneath the soil floor, that are troublesome to detect and deal with.

Lime (calcium carbonate) is usually utilized on farms to deal with soil acidity. To maximize its effectiveness, you will need to perceive how the lime dissolves and strikes by way of the soils.

The new technique to detect and measure carbonate in soils makes use of Mid Infrared (MIR) spectroscopy. MIR spectroscopy is a comparatively well-established software in soil chemistry that measures the vibrations of molecular bonds throughout the soil when infrared gentle is shined on a pattern.

“With this technology we were able to detect very small amounts of lime that might get lost amongst the other information that is contained in the soil,” mentioned Ms Hume.

“It is a valuable tool as it is accurate, inexpensive and requires minimal sample preparation.”

The subsequent phases of this analysis contain making use of the tactic to a lot of area trials which have been established by Grain Research and Development Corporation’s Acid Soils SA workforce . These trials which can be performed with native farmers throughout a number of websites in South Australia will contain completely different liming therapies and incorporation strategies which will enhance the best way farmers handle their soils sooner or later.

Co-author and Principal Ph.D. Supervisor Associate Professor Luke Mosley from the University of Adelaide’s Environment Institute and School of Biological Sciences mentioned: “We hope that we can detect lime merchandise by way of the soil profile and measure if and the way these merchandise are shifting by way of the soil and treating the acidity effectivity.

“The method is also potentially useful for soil carbon storage projects, which are increasingly being implemented in Australia and globally as a way to help mitigate climate change.”

In future analysis, Ms Hume plans to take a look at plant spectral responses to acidity and liming, and has been awarded an Australian Plant Phenomics Facility (APPF) postgraduate internship to discover this with a potted trial on the APPF’s Smart House facility, starting subsequent 12 months.