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Agricultural lime, also called aglime, Biolime, agricultural limestone, garden lime or liming, is a soil additive made from pulverized limestone or chalk. The primary active component is calcium carbonate. Additional chemicals vary depending on the mineral source and may include calcium oxide, magnesium oxide and magnesium carbonate. The effects of agricultural lime on soil are: * it increases the pH of acidic soil (the lower the pH the more acidic the soil); in other words, soil acidity is reduced and alkalinity increased * it provides a source of calcium and magnesium for plants * it permits improved water penetration for acidic soils * it improves the uptake of major plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) of plants growing on acid soils.〔Tankersley, Wayne, http://www.penningtonseed.com/UploadedDocs/KnowledgeCenter/Newsletters/Soil%20Test%20to%20Determine%20Lime%20Needs-%20revised%20May%2005.pdf〕 Lime may occur naturally in some soils but may require addition of sulfuric acid for its agricultural benefits to be realized. Gypsum is also used to supply calcium for plant nutrition. The concept of "corrected lime potential"〔(corrected lime potential (formula) )〕 to define the degree of base saturation in soils became the basis for procedures now used in soil testing laboratories to determine the "lime requirement" of soils.〔 〕 Other forms of lime have common applications in agriculture and gardening, including dolomitic lime and hydrated lime. Dolomitic lime may be used as a soil input to provide similar effects as agricultural lime, while supplying magnesium in addition to calcium. In livestock farming, hydrated lime can be used as a disinfectant measure, producing a dry and alkaline environment in which bacteria do not readily multiply. In horticultural farming it can be used as an insect repellent, without causing harm to the pest or plant. Spinner-style lime spreaders are generally used to spread agricultural lime on fields. Agricultural lime is injected into coal burners at power plants to reduce the pollutants such as NO2 and SO2 from the emissions. ==Determining the need for agricultural lime== The primary reason to apply agricultural lime is to correct the high levels of acidity in the soil. Acid soils reduce plant growth by inhibiting the intake of major plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium).〔Syed Manzoor Alam, Syed Shamshad Mehdi Naqvik and Raziuddin Ansari. 1999, ''Impact of Soil pH on Nutrient Uptake by Crop Plants'', Nuclear Institute of Agricultural Tanso Jam, Sindh, Pakistan http://www.crcnetbase.com/doi/abs/10.1201/9780824746728.ch3〕 Some plants, particularly legumes, will not grow in highly acidic soils. This is vital to maximise crop yield, animal grazing and good quality silage/hay.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.congcal.com/markets/agriculture/ )〕 Soils become acidic in a number of ways. Locations that have high rainfall levels become acidic through leaching. Land used for crop and livestock purposes lose minerals over time by crop removal and become acidic. For example, when a 600 pound calf is removed from a pasture, 100 pounds of bone is also removed, which is 60% calcium compounds.〔Bell, Jeff. 1999, ''Understanding and Correcting Soil Acidity'', The Samuel Roberts NOBLE Foundation http://www.noble.org/ag/Soils/SoilAcidity/index.htm〕 The application of modern chemical fertilizers is a major contributor to soil acid by the process in which the plant nutrients react in the soil.〔Kurtural, S. Kaan and Gregg Schwab, ''Acidification of Vineyard Soils by Nitrogen Fertilizers'', University of Kentucky http://www.uky.edu/Ag/Horticulture/acidification.pdf〕 Aglime, which is high in calcium, can also be beneficial to soils where the land is used for breeding and raising foraging animals. Bone growth is key to a young animal's development and bones are composed primarily of calcium and phosphorus.〔Hathaway, Milicent L. and Ruth Leverton. 2010, ''Food Part 1'',Part of the Yearbook of Agriculture Series http://science-in-farming.library4farming.org/Food-Nutrition-Allowances/NUTRIENTS/Calcium-and-Phosphorus.html〕 Young mammals get their needed calcium through milk, which has calcium as one of its major components. Dairymen frequently apply aglime because it increases milk production. The best way to determine if a soil is acid or deficient in calcium or magnesium is with a soil test which can be provided by a university with an agricultural education department for under $30.00, if you live in the United States.〔Young, J. Leon. 2010, ''The Soils, Plant & Water Analysis Laboratory'', Stephen F. Austin State University http://www.docstoc.com/docs/37721511/The-Soil-Plant-and-Water-Analysis-Laboratory-Stephen-F〕 Farmers typically become interested in soil testing when they notice a decrease in crop response to applied fertilizer. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Agricultural lime」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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