Description
Agricultural Lime is a calcium-rich soil amendment used primarily to correct soil acidity and improve soil conditions for productive crop growth. It supplies calcium while helping enhance nutrient availability, microbial activity, root development, and overall soil fertility.
Chemical Analysis
- Calcium Carbonate (CaCO₃): Typically makes up 85% to 95% of high-quality agricultural limestone.
- Calcium Content (Ca): Delivers roughly 34% to 40% elemental calcium depending on the purity of the source rock.
- Magnesium Content (Mg): Contains very little to no magnesium (typically under 1% to 5%).
- Impurities: The remaining fraction consists of small amounts of inert materials like silica, clay, iron oxide, and aluminum oxide.
Key Characteristics
- Solubility and Reaction Speed: It has low water solubility and relies on soil acids to break down. The finer the limestone is ground, the faster it dissolves and reacts with the soil.
Major Uses & Applications
- Soil pH correction: neutralizes soil acidity and raises low soil pH.
- Calcium supply: It supplies essential calcium, which strengthens plant cell walls and improves soil structure.
- Improves nutrient availability: helps make several essential nutrients more available to plants when soil acidity is limiting.
- Improves soil conditions: supports beneficial microbial activity and overall soil health.
