Abstract
Aluminium toxicity has been known to severely reduce root growth and nodulation of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) and consequently the yield. This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of lime, gypsum, and their combinations in reducing aluminium phytotoxicity in groundnut. Plants were grown on a highly weathered soil (Typic Paleudult) treated with lime, gypsum, and combinations of lime and gypsum at 75%: 25%, 50%: 50% and 25%: 75%, respectively, at an equivalent rate of 1.0 ton Ca ha−1. Soil samples were taken at mid-flowering and harvest while soil leachates were collected at 20 day intervals throughout the experiment. The application of gypsum and a 25%: 75% combination of lime and gypsum (LG 25%: 75%) increased the number of nodules, pods, and yield of groundnut. Leachates from these treatments were observed to accumulate higher amounts of aluminium, potassium, magnesium and calcium ions. At harvest, both treatments produced a significant reduction in soil exchangeable aluminium and potassium. However, a reduction in soil exchangeable magnesium was only observed in the gypsum treatment. Rapid displacement of aluminium, potassium and magnesium cations in the leachate occurred within 40 and 60 days under simulated tropical rain. The study suggested that the application of gypsum and the lime:gypsum combination at 25%: 75% improved the yield of groundnut grown on an acid soil more than the application of lime alone. Basal application of potassium and magnesium fertilizers after 1.5 months of gypsum treatment is recommended to reduce losses of these nutrients through leaching.
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© 1991 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
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Syed-Omar, S.R., Shamsuddin, Z.H., Zuraidah, J.Y., Wynne, J.C., Elkan, G.H. (1991). Use of lime, gypsum and their combinations to improve nodulation and yield of groundnut in an acidic soil. In: Wright, R.J., Baligar, V.C., Murrmann, R.P. (eds) Plant-Soil Interactions at Low pH. Developments in Plant and Soil Sciences, vol 45. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3438-5_30
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3438-5_30
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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