Purpose

As soil acidity is a recurring constraint for Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica L.) yield and the application method can interfere with the liming efficiency, a field experiment was performed to evaluate the effect of broadcast- and band-applied limestone rates on amelioration of soil profile chemical characteristics and coffee nutrition, growth, and yield.

Methods

The experiment took place from 2015 to 2020 on a sandy clay loam Acrisol (20% clay at 0–0.2-m depth) of southeastern Brazil. It was arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. The treatments comprised two limestone rates (2100 and 4200 kg ha⁻¹), both uniformly broadcast-applied all over the area or applied as a surface band under the canopy projection of the plants, and an unamended control.

Results

Liming efficiently improved soil chemical attributes up to the depth of 0.1–0.2 m, but only slightly affected the 0.2–0.4-m layer. Band-applied limestone was more efficient in reducing the acidity and increasing the concentrations of Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ in the soil beneath the plant canopy, while greater effects between the rows were obtained with the broadcast application. When band-applied, limestone rates higher than those currently recommended did not cause an excessive increase in soil pH or micronutrient deficiency in coffee trees and increased bean yield by 42% (589 kg ha⁻¹).

Conclusions

Concentrated (band) application of limestone was more efficient than its broadcast application to ameliorate the soil acidity in depth and over time beneath the plant canopy, as well as to increase plant growth and coffee yield.

中文翻译：

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施石灰方法和用量对土壤酸度和阿拉比卡咖啡营养、生长和产量的影响

目的

由于土壤酸度是阿拉比卡咖啡 ( Coffea arabica L.) 产量的反复制约因素，并且施用方法会干扰石灰效率，因此进行了田间试验以评估撒施石灰石用量对土壤改良的影响分析化学特征和咖啡营养、生长和产量。

方法

该实验于 2015 年至 2020 年在巴西东南部的砂质黏土 Acrisol（0-0.2 米深的 20% 粘土）上进行。它以随机完整区组设计排列，具有三个重复。处理包括两种石灰石用量（2100 和 4200 kg ha ^-1），两者均在整个区域均匀撒播或作为植物冠层投影下的表面带，以及未经修改的对照。

结果

石灰有效地改善了土壤化学属性，深度可达 0.1-0.2 m，但对 0.2-0.4-m 层影响很小。带状施用石灰石在降低植物冠层下土壤中的酸度和增加 Ca ²⁺和 Mg ²⁺浓度方面更有效，而撒播应用获得了更大的行间效果。当应用范围时，石灰石用量高于目前推荐的用量不会导致土壤 pH 值过度升高或咖啡树中的微量营养素缺乏，并使咖啡豆产量增加 42%（589 kg ha ^-1）。

结论

石灰石的集中（带状）施用比其撒播更有效，可以更有效地改善植物冠层下深度和随着时间的推移土壤酸度，以及增加植物生长和咖啡产量。