Summary
The effect of rates of lime and nitrogen on the growth of ryegrass (Lolium perenne) was measured in a pot experiment using two yellow-brown earth steepland soils (pH 5.1 and 5.3). Nitrogen or raising the soil pH above 5.8–6.0 markedly increased growth on both soils. Negative lime×N interactions on both soils together with other data indicated that an increase in the rate of mineralization of N was the major effect of lime. Numbers of bacteria and fungi as measured by plate counts were not increased by liming and hence the increased rate of mineralization of N was attributed to increased microbial activity.
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Edmeades, D.C., Judd, M. & Sarathchandra, S.U. The effect of lime on nitrogen mineralization as measured by grass growth. Plant Soil 60, 177–186 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02374102
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02374102