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This Crop File contains some basic terms and definitions related to production and use of agricultural liming materials.
- Fertilizer capable of lowering soil pH following application.
- Typically includes compounds containing ammonium or urea nitrogen, sulfur (not sulfate). aluminum, ferric, and others.
- Any material that contains calcium and magnesium in forms capable of reducing soil acidity.
- Primarily in carbonate or oxide forms.
- Effectiveness depends on two factors: purity and fineness, plus water content.
- Also known as “quicklime”.
- Limestone rock is heated at high temperatures to drive off carbon dioxide.
- Fast acting but is corrosive
- Disagreeable to handle and more expensive than typical aglime sources.
- Usually used in special nonagricultural situations.
- Crystalline form of calcium carbonate occurring in nature
- Crystalline = having regular internal arrangement of atoms, ions or molecules characteristic of crystals
- Pure calcite contains 100% calcium carbonate (40% calcium).
- Refers to agricultural limestone with high calcium content.
- Contains mainly calcium carbonate, but may also contain small amounts of magnesium.
- Are no regulations or restrictions governing calcium or magnesium content.
- Occurs in nature only in combination with other elements, does not occur solely as calcium.
- Calcium and magnesium are two main ingredients in limestone.
- Compound which contains calcium combined with carbonate.
- Occurs in nature as limestone, marble, chalk, marl, shells, and similar substances.
- Expression of acid-neutralizing capacity of a carbonate rock relative to that of pure calcium carbonate (e.g. calcite).
- Expressed as percentage.
- For pure calcium carbonate (CaCO3), CCE = 100%
- For pure magnesium carbonate (MgCO3), CCE = 108.5%
- CCE differences due to molecular weight differences.
- On pound-for-pound basis, MgCO3 is 16% more effective in raising the pH than CaCO3.
- Actual CCE of most limestone products will be less than 100%.
- Due to impurities in the rock; e.g., sand, shale, dirt, other minerals.
- Most commercially available limestones are mixture of calcite and dolomite rather than either in pure form.
- Chemical compound containing calcium and oxygen. Does not occur in nature.
- Formed from calcium carbonate by heating limestone to drive off carbon dioxide.
- Used by some states as a measure of aglime quality.
- Percentage of calcium oxide plus 1.39 times the magnesium oxide content.
- Pure calcite = 56.0%.
- Pure dolomite = 60.8%.
- Obtained directly by dissolving a sample of material in an acid.
- Indicated by material’s calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE).
- Only indicates equivalent neutralizing value of aglime material.
- Does not actually determine calcium carbonate content of material.
- Limestone containing magnesium carbonate (MgCO3) in amount approximately equivalent to the calcium carbonate content.
- Pure dolomite = 54.3% CaCO3 and 45.7% MgCO3.
- Limestone containing from 10% to less than 50% dolomite and from 50% to 90% calcite.
- Expression of aglime effectiveness.
- Required for labeling purposes in some states.
- Determined by multiplying chemical purity (CCE) by set of factors based on fineness of grind of the limestone.
- Also referred to as:
- Effective Neutralizing Material (ENM),
- Effective Neutralizing Value (ENV),
- Total Neutralizing Power (TNP),
- Effective Neutralizing Power (ENP), and
- "Lime score"
- Byproduct from egg breaking facilities
- Potentially useful as liming material.
- Comprised mainly of calcium carbonate (94 to 97%)
- Finely ground eggshells can be effective liming material but coarsely ground eggshells may be quite less effective.
- Percentage by weight of liming material that will pass designated sieves.
- Calculated to account for particle distribution by totaling amounts of material held and /or passed through various sieve screens.
- Combinations of sieve screens determined by various state liming regulations and guidelines.
- Byproduct of electrical utility companies.
- Produced from mixing limestone into ground coal in a fluidizing bed to control burning rates of coal.
- Ash remaining after burning the coal can neutralize soil acidity.
- Ashes and dusts collected from smoke stacks also can neutralize soil acidity. CCE can vary widely and should be determined by laboratory analysis.
- Also known as "liquid lime".
- Made by mixing very finely ground limestone (100% passing a 100-mesh sieve and 89-90% passing a 200-mesh sieve) with either water or liquid nitrogen fertilizer along with a suspending agent (attapulgite clay).
- Can be applied liquid fertilizer applicator.
- Hydrated form of calcium sulfate (CaSO4).
- Supplies calcium to the soil.
- Is a neutral substance.
- Does not correct soil acidity
- Is not a liming material.
- Also known as “slaked lime”.
- Produced by adding water to burned lime or by absorption of moisture from the air.
- Has same characteristics and limitations as burned lime.
- Broadly applied in agriculture to any material containing calcium and magnesium in forms capable of correcting soil acidity.
- Chemically is calcium and magnesium oxide material.
- Produced by high temperature heating calcitic or dolomitic limestone
- Replaces carbonate ion (CO3-2) with oxygen.
- Amount of agricultural limestone required to adjust current soil acidity to some desired range.
- Usually expressed in pounds or tons per acre of CaCO3 needed to adjust soil pH under field conditions.
- Wet material containing fine lime particles that are precipitated in water softening process.
- Sludges vary in calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE) and water content.
- Application rate requires adjusting to equal dry aglime rates.
- Contains 5% to 10% pure dolomite and 90% to 95% calcite.
- Occurs in nature as “magnesite” mineral.
- Is essential part of dolomitic limestone and dolomite.
- Formed from MgCO3 by heating to drive off carbon dioxide.
- Also formed in mixture with CaO by heating magnesian limestone or dolomite.
- Compact, hard, polishable form of limestone.
- Granular or loosely consolidated, earthly material.
- Composed largely of calcium carbonate as seashell fragments.
- Contains varying amounts of silt and organic matter.
- Also referred to as “screen analysis” or “sieve analysis”.
- Indicates percentages of a material falling within predetermined particle size limits and between certain mesh sizes.
- State laws governing aglime quality standards are all based on particle size distribution guidelines established by mechanical analysis.
- Limestone which is granulated into pellet form.
- Original product is a finally ground limestone (usually 100-mesh or smaller).
- Is put into granulation drum and bound together with highly water-soluble substance.
- Granulation improves ease of handling and application.
- Correcting soil acidity with pelletized lime requires same amount of ECCE as it does any other liming material.
- Also known as “burned lime”.
- Limestone rock is heated at high temperatures to drive off carbon dioxide.
- Fast acting but is corrosive
- Disagreeable to handle and more expensive than aglime.
- Usually used in special nonagricultural situations.
- Also referred to as “mechanical analysis” or “screen analysis”.
- Indicates percentages of a material falling within predetermined particle size limits and between certain mesh sizes.
- State laws governing aglime quality standards are all based on particle size distribution guidelines established by mechanical analysis.
- Magnesium silicate or slag steel industry byproducts.
- Air-cooled slags must be processed like limestone.
- Water-cooled slag is porous granular material produced when water is applied to hot slag.
- Usually requires screening because of presence of large particles.
- Also known as “quicklime”.
- Produced by adding water to burned lime or by absorption of moisture from the air.
- Has same characteristics and limitations as burned lime.
- Refers to negative logarithm (p) of hydrogen ion (H) concentration in soil solution.
- Expression of degree of acidity or alkalinity of a soil.
- Measured on scale of 1 to 14.
- pH of 7.0 is neutral.
- pH from 1.0 to 6.9 indicate acid soil.
- pH from 7.1 to 14.0 indicate alkaline or basic soil.
- Acidity or alkalinity status of a soil.
- Soils that are acid are said to have and acid reaction; those that are alkaline, an alkaline reaction.
Holmes, et. al. 2011. Using Ground Eggshells as a Liming Material in Corn and Soybean Production. Plant Management Network. http://www.agronext.iastate.edu/soilfertility/info/eggshell.pdf accessed 15July2019
Spies and Harms. Soil Acidity and Liming of Indiana Soils, Pub. AY-267. Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service. https://www.agry.purdue.edu/ext/forages/rotational/articles/PDFs-pubs/soil-acidity-and-liming.pdf accessed 15July2019
Stoneco of Michigan. 2019. Aglime Terms. http://aglime.com/aglimeTerms.html accessed 15July2019
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