New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research abstracts
Soil and pasture responses to lime on dry hill country in central
Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
J. D. Morton
AgResearch
Invermay Agricultural Centre
Private Bag 50 034
Mosgiel, New Zealand
M. H. Gray
AgResearch
Poukawa Agricultural Centre
P.O. Box 8144
Havelock North, New Zealand
A. G. Gillingham
AgResearch
Grasslands Research Centre
Private Bag 11 008
Palmerston North, New Zealand
Abstract Small plot trials were established with
four combinations of aspect and slope (north-easy, north-steep,
south-easy, south-steep) with initial soil pH 5.6, 5.4, 5.6, and 5.4,
respectively) on hill country under low annual average rainfall (800 mm
yr–1) near Waipawa in central Hawke’s Bay. At each site,
lime at 0, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 4.0, and 8.0 t ha–1 was applied
once in November 2000 to increase soil pH to 5.4–5.6, 5.5–5.8, 5.7–5.9,
5.7–6.0, and 6.0–6.4, respectively for each rate of lime after 1 year.
Soil exchangeable aluminium (Al) levels measured in November 2003 were
above the critical level of 3 µg g–1, where root
growth is restricted, on the north-steep and south-steep sites (4.48
and 5.23 µg g–1), just above on the south-easy site
(3.02 µg g–1) and below on the north-easy site (1.45
µg g–1). At the north-steep and south-steep sites,
soil Al was reduced below the critical level at rates of 0.5 and 1.0 t
lime ha–1 and higher, respectively. There was no
significant response in dry matter (DM) yield to lime measured at any
site in Year 1 (December 2000–November 2001), or for the north-easy and
north-steep sites in Year 2 (December 2001–November 2002) or Year 3
(December 2002–November 2003). Lime had no significant effect on legume
cover (19–61% in any one year) on the north-easy site. Lime increased
legume cover in years 2 and 3 (14–56%) on the north-steep site. In
Years 2 and 3, there was a significant DM yield response levelling off
at 1.0 t lime ha–1 on both the south-easy and south-steep
sites. On the south-easy site, there was a significant response in
legume cover to 0.5 t lime ha–1 and greater in Year 2, and
4.0 t lime ha–1 and greater in Year 3 while on the
south-steep site there was a significant response in Year 2 to 1 t lime
ha–1 and greater and in Year 3 to 2 t lime ha–1 and
greater. Where a south aspect and easy slope favours legume growth in
dry hill country, low rates of lime (1 t ha–1) can result in
a worthwhile pasture yield response, especially where soil Al levels
are greater than 3 µg g–1.
Keywords lime; aspect; slope; soil pH; soil Al;
pasture yield response; clover cover; pasture Mn
A04018; Received 23 March 2004; accepted 29 October 2004; Online
publication date 21 March 2005
New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research, 2005, Vol. 48:
143–150
0028–8233/05/4801–0143 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2005
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