Summary
The effects of liming and superphosphate application on the manganese nutrition of lettuce were studied in factorial experiments. A fairly acid silt loam of the Hamble series, which on steam-sterilization released considerable amounts of manganese in readily available forms, was used in the investigation.
Manganese toxicity in lettuce was prevented by liming to increase the pH of the soil. The amounts of water-soluble, exchangeable and total active manganese present in the soil, and the manganese content of lettuce plants, decreased with increasing soil pH; easily reducible soil manganese increased with increasing soil pH.
The effect of added superphosphate depended on the pH of the untreated soil. When the soil had a high pH, application of phosphate invariably decreased the pH and increased the manganese uptake. In acid soil supplying excessive amounts of manganese, application of phosphate reduced the manganese content of the plants; the pH of the soil was either unchanged or slightly increased by the treatment.
Correlations were calculated between soil pH, various fractions of soil manganese, and the manganese content and yield of lettuce.
From a comparison of plants grown in soil and sand culture it was concluded that the presence of a further toxic factor in the soil was probable.
The results are discussed in relation to those obtained by other investigators.
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Messing, J.H.L. The effects of lime and superphosphate on manganese toxicity in steam-sterilized soil. Plant Soil 23, 1–16 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01349114
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01349114