Effect of lime (CaCO3) application on soil structural stability of a red earth

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Abstract
Changes in soil structural stability as a result of lime application (1·5 t/ha) were monitored over 3 years in a red earth with contrasting initial pH, organic carbon, and structural stability conditions at Wagga Wagga, NSW. The lime was applied to the surface of the direct drilled-soil without any incorporation, but in the case of the cultivated soils, the lime was incorporated into the top 10 cm by scarifying. After liming, an initial temporary reduction in macroaggregate (>2 µm) stability was detected in the immediate surface (0-2·5 cm) of the direct-drilled soil where the highest increases in pH, losses in soil organic carbon, and increases in microbial biomass were also observed. The decrease in structural stability was attributed to lime-induced increases in biological decomposition and the resulting soil organic carbon losses. Subsequent samplings did not detect any difference in either macro- or micro- (

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