Electrical conductivity and corn growth in contrasting soils affected by liming application at various levels

Abstract:

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of the application of increasing liming levels on the electrical conductivity of soils contrasting for texture and contents of soil organic matter, as well as the relationship of soil electrical conductivity and soil nutrient concentration with corn dry matter. Soil electrical conductivity and the available contents of macro- and micronutrients were determined; and the nutrient concentration was calculated for soil samples incubated with increasing rates of CaCO₃+MgCO₃. The degree of association of soil electrical conductivity with the fertility and acidity properties of each soil, and with the dry matter of corn, grown during 35 days in pots, was determined. Soil electrical conductivity increases with increasing liming levels and correlates positively with pH, base saturation, Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ contents, and with nutrient concentration. There is no universal mathematical equation that relates soil electrical conductivity with the properties of the ten researched soils and with total dry matter of corn. For each soil, there is a direct relationship between soil electrical conductivity and corn dry matter, and between electrical conductivity and nutrient concentration.

Index terms:
soil acidity properties; nutrient availability; organic matter; soil solution; soil texture