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A comparison of lime requirements by five methods on grassland mineral

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Article  in  Soil Use and Management · February 2010

DOI: 10.1111/j.1475-2743.2010.00263.x

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 SoilUse
and Management
Soil Use and Management, June 2010, 26, 126–132 doi: 10.1111/j.1475-2743.2010.00263.x

A comparison of lime requirements by five methods on

grassland mineral soils in Ireland

H. Tunney1, F. J. Sikora2, D. Kissel3, A. Wolf4, L. Sonon3 & K. Goulding5

1
Teagasc, Johnstown Castle Research Centre, Wexford, Ireland, 2Unversity of Kentucky, Lexington, KY 40506, USA, 3University
of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA, 4Penn State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA, and 5Rothamsted Research,
Harpenden, Hertfordshire AL5 2JQ, UK

Abstract
Liming is necessary for good nutrient availability and crop growth. Lime use in Ireland is now the
lowest in half a century. A recent study shows that grassland mineral soils in Ireland has a mean pH of
5.4 and mean lime requirement (LR) of 9.3 t ⁄ ha ground limestone. There have been a number of
studies in the USA to re-evaluate LR, but little activity in the European Union (EU) in recent years.
The primary aim of our research was to compare five methods for estimating LR, which included the
Shoemaker–McLean–Pratt (SMP) buffer method currently used in Ireland (IRL), the Sikora buffer
method used at the University of Kentucky (UKY), Ca(OH)2 titration used at University of Georgia
(UGA), the modified Mehlich buffer method used at Penn State University (PSU) and the UK
RothLime model, using 57 representative grassland mineral soils from Ireland with a pH range from
4.8 to 6.6. The secondary aim was to explore an alternative to the SMP buffer that does not involve the
use of toxic chemicals. The results show good agreement between the pH measured by the Irish and
three US laboratories and reasonably good agreement in LR estimated by five methods. The main
conclusions are: (1) a significant proportion of grassland on mineral soils in Ireland would benefit from
liming to increase soil pH, (2) on average, LRs as recommended in Ireland are higher than those
advised elsewhere, (3) the target pH in Ireland is high compared with that in other countries and
should be reduced from pH 6.5 to 6.2, (4) the SMP buffer method should be replaced by a suitable
alternative and, in principle, any of the four methods studied would be suitable, (5) to find the most
suitable alternative for accurate LR advice it would be necessary to compare the different methods to
the actual LR from incubation of representative soils with calcium hydroxide.

Keywords: Soil pH, soil buffer pH, lime requirement, grassland, liming, environment

Introduction
In leaching climates liming to maintain soil pH is necessary
for good nutrient availability and to avoid aluminium and
manganese toxicity. Most soil testing laboratories use a
buffer method, titratable soil acidity or pH with soil pH
buffer capacity (estimated from organic matter or texture) to
estimate lime requirement (LR; Sims, 1996). The Shoemaker
et al. (1961) buffer method is the most widely used and has
been in use in Ireland since 1965; before that LR was based
on pH and soil texture. Many buffer solutions (Adams and
Evans, 1962; Mehlich, 1976; SMP; Woodruff, 1948) contain
hazardous chemicals such as p-nitrophenol, chromium and
Correspondence: H. Tunney. E-mail: hubert.tunney@gmail.com
Received August 2009; accepted after revision January 2010
barium that generate health and safety issues and add extra-
disposal costs (Sikora, 2006).
There have been a number of studies in the USA to re-
evaluate LR (Miller et al., 2005; Sikora, 2006; Godsey et al.,
2007; Sikora & Moore, 2008; Wolf et al., 2008; Diezel et al.,
2009) but there has been little work in the EU on this topic in
recent years. Some attempts have been made to simplify LR
estimates by using the large number of analyses made in the
past to construct look-up tables and models (e.g. Goulding
et al., 1989; Anon., 2000).
Agricultural lime may have environmental implications as
it releases carbon dioxide both from the carbonate in the lime
and from the increased mineralization of soil organic matter
(Biasi et al., 2008; West & McBride, 2005; Fuentes et al.,
2006); this should be considered in liming advice.
Department of Agriculture statistics show that the mean
annual agricultural lime use on the 4.4 · 106 ha of farmland

126 ª 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation ª 2010 British Society of Soil Science

(80% grassland, 10% tillage, 10% forestry) in Ireland was
1.7 · 106 t in the decade between 1975 and 1984 but only half
this level between 1995 and 2004 (Tunney, 2008). The annual
average use of limestone in Ireland on grassland and arable
land over the past 5 years (2004 to 2008) was 0.6 · 106 t, the
lowest in the past half century. The decrease in the land area
farmed over this period was minimal. It was estimated that
rates of less than 1.5 · 106 t per annum will lead to an
increase in soil acidity (Brogan et al., 1981).
Between 2003 and 2005, 1015 grid-based soil samples were
collected (1 per 5000 ha) for the National Soil Database
(NSD; Fay et al., 2007), of which 624 were grassland mineral
soils (with pH and LR results). The mean, maximum,
minimum pH and standard deviation (SD) for the pH of
these soils were 5.4, 7.7, 3.7 and 0.7, respectively. The
corresponding values for LR in t ⁄ ha ground limestone were
9.3, 30.4, 0 and 5.6, respectively (Tunney et al., 2008, 2009).
A random sampling in 1981 showed a mean pH and LR on
permanent grassland of 5.9 and 8.0 t ⁄ ha, respectively (Brogan
et al., 1981). The NSD results show that most grassland
mineral soils have a low pH (66% < pH 5.6).
To meet current LR advice on grassland (excluding rough
grazing) would require a maximum total application of
32.6 · 106 t lime (3.5 · 106 ha grassland · 9.3 t ⁄ ha lime) at a
cost of €750 million (at €23 per t lime). This is an
overestimate because some extensively farmed grassland
mineral soils (including 0.4 · 106 ha rough grazing) are not
limed, and on high molybdenum soils (about 40% of
farmland) LR advice is reduced by 5 t ⁄ ha (Coulter & Lalor,
2008).
Advice in Ireland is to lime to pH 6.5 in order to maintain
grassland mineral soils at a target pH of 6.3 over a 5-year
liming cycle (Coulter & Lalor, 2008). This is higher than in
several other countries where the corresponding target pH is
6.0 to 6.2 for grass ⁄ clover swards, as shown in Table 1
(Anon., 1993, 2000; Roberts et al., 1994; Sims & Eckert,
1995). It is not clear why the target pH is higher in Ireland
and there is relatively little published information on the
subject. Brogan (1971) states that, for permanent pasture, a
range between pH 6.0 and 6.5 is probably adequate. The
higher target pH in the Republic of Ireland means that
farmers are advised to apply more lime than their colleagues
Table 1 Target pH for liming grassland soils in four countries
Mineral Peat
Country soil soil Reference
1. United Kingdom: 6.0 5.3 Anon. (2000)
England
Northern Ireland 6.0–6.2 5.6 Anon. (1993)
2. New Zealand 5.8–6.0 5.0–5.5 Roberts et al. (1994)
3. USA, Northeast 6.0 Sims & Eckert (1995)
4. Ireland 6.5 5.5 Coulter & Lalor (2008)
ª 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation ª 2010 British Society of Soil Science, Soil Use and Management, 26, 126–132
A comparison of grassland lime requirement 127
in Northern Ireland, for example. This has increased cost
implications. Reducing the target pH to 6.2, as in the UK,
should be adequate for optimum production of grass ⁄ clover
swards in Ireland.
The Regulation governing the marketing of ground
limestone in Ireland states that the neutralizing value of a
liming material shall not be less than 90% (Anon, 1978), that
is equivalent to 90% calcium carbonate. In other countries
ground limestone of 80% neutralizing value or lower is
accepted (Goulding et al., 1989; Rasnake et al., 2002). Lower
neutralizing values offer the potential benefits of additional
sources of ground limestone with shorter transport distances
in some areas and more competition.
The primary aim of this study was to compare a number of
methods for estimating LR for Irish grassland on mineral
soils. The secondary aim was to explore the possibility of
finding an alternative to the SMP buffer that does not
contain toxic chemicals.
Materials and Methods
Fifty-seven soil samples were selected from over 3000 soils
submitted for analysis at Teagasc, Johnstown Castle,
Wexford in March and April 2008. The samples selected were
from permanent grassland mineral soils, which are normally
sampled at a 0 to 10 cm depth. Three samples were selected
at random from each 0.1 pH category range from pH 4.8 to
6.6 (19 · 3 ¼ 57 samples). There were very few samples at
the highest and lowest pH categories, so some samples had to
be taken from the same farm whereas there were large
numbers of samples to select from the intermediate
categories. Two-thirds of samples were from an area south-
east of a line between the cities of Dublin–Limerick–Cork
and within this area about half (one-third of total) were from
an area in or near County Tipperary.
The samples submitted normally weigh less than 100 g
after air drying and sieving (2 mm). Samples were selected
from permanent grassland with a normal range of farming
practices with Morgan phosphorus (P) values between 3 and
12 mg ⁄ L soil (one sample had a value of 17.9), Morgan
potassium (K) values between 50 and 300 mg ⁄ L soil and
Morgan magnesium (Mg) values between 50 and 400 mg ⁄ L
soil. After analyses, 23 g sub-samples were sent to each of
three US laboratories for analyses.
At Teagasc, the samples were analysed for pH (1:2,
soil:water), lime requirement (SMP buffer method, 1:2
soil:buffer) and P, K and Mg by Morgan’s extractant
(ammonium acetate ⁄ acetic acid at pH 4.8). The LR for
grassland in Ireland is based on a target pH of 6.5 and
ground limestone which is regulated to have CaCO3
equivalence of at least 90% or greater, 100% passing a
3.35 mm sieve and 35% or more passing a 150 lm sieve
(Anon, 1978). Loss on ignition (LOI) was measured by
heating in a furnace at 500 C (Karam, 1993). In Irish soils,
128 H. Tunney et al.
LOI is approximately twice the organic carbon content as
determined by the Walkley–Black method (McGrath, 1997),
and therefore approximately equates to soil organic matter
content. The mean, maximum, minimum, median and SD for
%LOI on the 57 soils were 12.0, 18.7, 4.8, 12.0 and 2.9,
respectively.
At the University of Kentucky (UKY), the pH was
measured in water (1:1 soil:water) and LR determined by
the Sikora buffer method (Sikora, 2006) with a target pH of
6.4. At Penn State University (PSU), the pH was measured
in water (1:1 soil:water) and LR determined by a modified
Mehlich buffer method (Mehlich, 1976; Wolf et al., 2008)
with a target pH of 6.5. At the University of Georgia
(UGA), pH was measured in 0.01 m CaCl2 and LR
determined by a single addition Ca(OH)2 titration method
(Kissel et al., 2007) with a target pH of 5.99 in a 1:1
soil:0.01 m CaCl2 mixture. The target pH of 5.99 was chosen
because it was 0.51 units lower than pH 6.5, the average
difference in pH of the 57 soils when measured in water
versus when measured in 0.01 m CaCl2. The calculation of
LR by the UGA method was modified based on Thompson
et al. (2010). In the calculation, LR = LBCequil · (target
pHCaCl2 – pHCaCl2), where target pHCaCl2 is the desired pH
and pHCaCl2 is the actual pH measured (LBC = lime buffer
capacity). The LR has units of mg CaCO3 kg)1 and LBCequil
(mg CaCO3 kg)1 pH)1) is the pH buffering capacity based
on equilibrium pH after Ca(OH)2 addition. The LBCequil
was calculated from the laboratory-determined LBC30min
(LBC from 30 min Ca(OH)2 equilibration) for the 57 soils in
this study, and a calibration data set (LBCequil = f
(LBC30min)) using Thompson’s data from 17 Georgia soils
(Thompson et al., 2010).
Finally, the LR was estimated using the RothLime model
(ROTH) developed at Rothamsted Research in England
(Goulding et al., 1989). ROTH provides for five soil types:
sand, light, medium ⁄ clay, organic and peat (Goulding
et al., 1989; the model can be downloaded from the link
shown in the reference). The pH in the model is based on a
soil:water ratio of 1:2.5; the actual pH values used in the
model for this study were based on the pH measured at the
Teagasc laboratory with a soil:water ratio of 1:2, which was
assumed not to give a significantly different pH. The
parameters used in the ROTH model are soil type, crop,
county (in UK), soil pH, target pH and type of lime used.
For soil type, both light and medium clay were selected
and the two lime requirements averaged. The maximum
modelled LR difference for these two soil types was 1 t ⁄ ha.
The crop selected was grass and the county entered was
Armagh in Northern Ireland. Soil pH from the IRL 1:2
soil:water ratios were used. The target pH entered in the
model was 6.5. The type of lime entered was ground
limestone with a neutralizing value of 54% pure CaO
(equivalent to 96% CaCO3). The particle size of the
limestone conforms to regulatory requirements of 100%
ª 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation ª 2010 British Society of Soil Science, Soil Use and Management, 26, 126–132
passing a 3.35 mm sieve and 35% or more passing through
a 150 lm sieve. The current ROTH tables ⁄ model assumes
that lime applications on farms are not normally precise so
that LR is shown to the nearest t ⁄ ha. To run the model
the only analysis required is soil pH and an estimate of soil
type.
The LR estimates from the three US laboratories were
based on reagent-grade CaCO3. In the regions serviced by
the laboratories, this LR is adjusted to a field application
of ground limestone based on the quality of lime used.
The quality of lime is evaluated from the %CaCO3
content and particle size (Rasnake et al., 2002; Crozier &
Hardy, 2005; Mamo et al., 2009). Lime quality is
presented as a percentage of lime that would react in soil
in the same way as reagent-grade CaCO3 and has various
terms such as effective neutralizing value, effective calcium
carbonate equivalence and relative neutralizing value. The
LR from the US laboratories based on reagent-grade
CaCO3 were adjusted to the LR of ground limestone using
a relative neutralizing value of 65% estimated to be the
quality of lime used in Ireland (CaCO3 LR · 100 ⁄ 65 =
ground limestone IRL LR). This is the value obtained
with 96% CaCO3 content, 65% of lime between 150 lm
and 3.35 mm assumed to be 50% effective and 35% of
lime less than 150 lm assumed to be 100% effective
(Rasnake et al., 2002).
Results and Discussion
There was good agreement between the three laboratories
that measured pH in water (mean pH of 5.7, 5.6 and 5.7 for
IRL, UKY and PSU, respectively). The overall average pH
was 5.7. The pH at UGA was measured in 0.01 m CaCl2 and
was also significantly correlated with the pH from the other
three laboratories but was on average 0.51 pH units lower.
The regression equations of the lines of best fit and Pearson
correlation coefficient for pH between the four laboratories
are shown in Table 2.
The mean LRs for the 57 soils were 6.7, 6.0, 5.9, 5.2 and
5.5, expressed as t ⁄ ha ground limestone, for IRL, UKY,
PSU, UGA and ROTH, respectively (Table 3). The highest
(IRL, LR = 6.7) average LR was more than 25% larger
than the lowest (UGA, LR = 5.2) (Table 3). The differences
may be due in part to the different field calibrations used for
the tests. For Ireland, the laboratory notes state that ‘The LR
test was accepted for introduction from first January 1965,
according to the formula: Lime Requirement = 0.8 · SMP’.
This was based on pot and field calibrations and on pure
calcium carbonate; the US conversion factor to ground
limestone is 0.65 (see Materials and Methods section) which
may in part account for the higher IRL LR. For example, the
ratio of the lowest to the highest average LR in Table 3 is
0.78 (5.2 ⁄ 6.7), very similar to the ratio (0.81 = 0.65 ⁄ 0.8)
between the conversion formulas.
 A comparison of grassland lime requirement 129

Table 2 Comparisons of soil pH from four laboratories

IRL UKY PSU UGA

IRL (1)
UKY y = 0.946x+0.220 (0.98) (1)
PSU y = 0.917x+0.503 (0.96) y = 0.969x+0.288 (0.99) (1)
UGA y = 1.064x)0.896 (0.97) y = 1.121x)1.119 (0.99) y = 1.136x)1.340 (0.98) (1)

Equations for lines of best fit are shown with y representing pH from the laboratory in the first column and x representing pH from the
laboratory in the first row). Pearson correlation coefficients are shown in brackets (significant at P < 0.001). IRL = Ireland (Teagasc),
UKY = University of Kentucky, PSU = Penn State University, UGA = University of Georgia.

Table 3 Summary statistics for lime requirements (t ⁄ ha ground values for the four other methods compared with IRL.
limestone) for the five methods For example, if two samples (no. 4, IRL LR 6.0 and no.
13, IRL LR 4.5) were removed from the data, then the
IRL UKY PSU UGA ROTH
regression R2 would be increased to 0.88, 0.81, 0.91 and
Average 6.7 6.0 5.9 5.2 5.5 0.77 for UKY, PSU, UGA and ROTH, respectively,
Maximum 16.0 13.8 15.8 13.8 10.5 compared with the values shown in Figure 1.
Minimum 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 There was significant correlation for pH measurements and
Median 6.0 4.6 6.2 4.3 5.5 good agreement in the results from the four laboratories.
SD 4.7 4.2 4.2 4.1 3.2 There was also significant correlation for LR results between
the five methods tested. On average, the IRL LR was higher
For key to methods see Table 2.
than the other four methods. The best relationship was
between UGA and IRL. For the IRL LR between 2 and
16 t ⁄ ha, many of the points (excluding the six points where
Table 4 Pearson correlation coefficients (P < 0.001) based on
LR for UGA was higher than IRL) were on a line nearly
ground limestone for the five LR methods
parallel to equality and with approximately 2 t ⁄ ha lower LR
IRL UKY PSU UGA ROTH for UGA than IRL (UGA = 0 when IRL = 2 and
UGA = 12 when IRL = 14 t ⁄ ha, see Figure 1). For the
IRL 1 other three methods, there is evidence that IRL estimates a
UKY 0.89 1 higher LR above about 10 t ⁄ ha but very little difference at
PSU 0.86 0.90 1 the lower levels of LR. Under an LR of 2 t ⁄ ha, the ROTH
UGA 0.92 0.97 0.90 1 model shows a higher LR than IRL LR.
ROTH 0.84 0.95 0.87 0.92 1 In Ireland, grassland soils have a high organic matter
For key to methods see Table 2. content (McGrath, 1997) because of high rainfall, relatively
low temperatures and pH and the fact that most of the
grassland is permanent. Although reliable figures are not
There were significant correlations between all the methods available, it is likely that most of the grassland has not been
in the study. The highest Pearson correlation coefficient for ploughed for over 30 years. This high organic matter (%LOI)
LR was for UGA with UKY (0.97), followed by ROTH with content (average 12% in these 57 soils) suggests that less
UKY (0.95) and UGA (0.92) as shown in Table 4. The rather than more lime may be adequate for grassland soils in
highest correlation for IRL was with UGA (0.92) and the Ireland (Anon. 1993).
lowest was with ROTH (0.84). Of the five methods tested, In 1981, it was estimated that an average of 0.375 t ⁄ ha ⁄ yr
UGA and UKY had the best overall average Pearson of lime (ca. 1.5 · 106 t ⁄ yr on 4 · 106 ha farmland, excluding
correlation with the other four methods (both 0.93), followed rough grazing) would be required to maintain the soil pH
by ROTH (0.90), PSU (0.88) and IRL (0.88). (Brogan et al., 1981). At that time, a significant proportion of
The comparison using ground limestone equivalent for lime was being applied to tillage soils, particularly for beet
the four other methods with IRL is shown in Figure 1. Of for sugar production on about 40 000 ha, which is no longer
the four methods the best correlation was between UGA grown in Ireland. This estimate could be reduced based on
and IRL (regression R2 = 0.84) and the lowest was with the results in this study. In addition, considerable areas of
ROTH (R2 = 0.70). The number of samples with LR extensive grassland are normally not limed. Advice for
greater than IRL was 31.6, 26.3, 19.3 and 28.1% for fertilizer and animal manures for nitrogen and phosphorus
UKY, PSU, UGA and ROTH, respectively. A number of needs of grassland take animal stocking rate into account
the same samples in the mid range of LR had higher (the higher the stocking rate the higher the rates advised);

ª 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation ª 2010 British Society of Soil Science, Soil Use and Management, 26, 126–132
130 H. Tunney et al.

16 16
14 14
12 12

PSU (t/ha)
UKY (t/ha)

10 10
8 8
6 6
4 4
y = 0.79x + 0.71 y = 0.77x + 0.72
2 2 2 2
R = 0.79 R = 0.74
0 0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
IRL (t/ha) IRL (t/ha)
16 16
14 y = 0.56x + 1.71
14
2
12 12 R = 0.70

ROTH (t/ha)
UGA (t/ha)

10 10
8 8
6 6
4 4
y = 0.79x – 0.12
2 2 2
R = 0.84
0 0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
IRL (t/ha) IRL (t/ha)

Figure 1 Relationship of ground limestone lime requirement for UKY, PSU, UGA and ROTH with IRL for 57 soil samples (the solid line
shows equality and the dashed line the regression). For key to methods see Table 2.

however, there is no provision to take this into account in LR
advice (Coulter & Lalor, 2008).
The secondary aim of the study was to find a suitable
alternative to the SMP buffer method in Ireland. To find the
most suitable alternative for accurate IRL LR advice, it
would be necessary to compare the different methods to
actual LR from an incubation study of soil with lime. We
believe that all three methods from the US laboratories
[Sikora buffer (UKY), modified Mehlich (PSU), Ca(OH)2
titration (UGA)] and the ROTH model would work equally
well and the choice of which method to use would depend on
the method best suited to the laboratory. Replacing the SMP
buffer method with the Sikora buffer may be the most
convenient change for the laboratory. The buffer pH values
would be the same as from the SMP buffer method and the
LR would be interpreted from the same pH values as the
SMP buffer method. Other issues to consider are storage
shelf life of the buffer and cost. The modified Mehlich buffer
does not have a long shelf life because of microbial growth.
The Sikora buffer has a long shelf life, up to 150 days, but
occasionally a black mould will grow if the buffer is exposed
to air. The Ca(OH)2 solution can be stored indefinitely if
maintained in a CO2 free environment, which is easily
achieved by using an ascarite trap. If cost is an issue, the
Ca(OH)2 titration method has the lowest chemical costs. The
ROTH model is simple and inexpensive because only soil pH
and soil texture are needed and this approach is broadly in
line with the approach used in Ireland before the SMP buffer
method was introduced in 1965.
The results show that changing the method from the
current SMP buffer method to any of the other four methods
would lead to a reduction in the amount of lime advised, and
lowering the target pH would reduce it further.
With high organic matter soils such as these, particularly
when dried, a large amount of nitrate will form from the
breakdown of soil organic matter over a time period of
2 months, the period typically required for calcium carbonate
incubations because of it slow dissolution. In this time the
soil solution will have a high electrolyte content, even higher
than 0.01 m CaCl2, thereby depressing pH and resulting in a
higher lime requirement than the correct one (Liu et al.,
2008). The best way to carry out incubations to determine
LR on these soils is therefore to use calcium hydroxide,
requiring only 3–5 days incubation (Liu et al., 2008).
Conclusion
1. The recommended LR for grassland soils in Ireland is
high compared with that in several other countries.
2. The SMP buffer method should be replaced by a suitable
alternative. All the four alternatives used in this study
would be suitable. The choice would depend on the
method most suited to the laboratory. To find the most
suitable it will be necessary to use an incubation study of

ª 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation ª 2010 British Society of Soil Science, Soil Use and Management, 26, 126–132
 A comparison of grassland lime requirement 131

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3. Target field pH is high compared with New Zealand, the
Soil and Tillage Research, 88, 123.
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