Chemical improvement of acid soils with the use of calcareous amendments in rambutan cultivation, Honduras

Abstract

Introduction. The acidity of the soil generates toxicity due to high concentrations of aluminum and low availability of macronutrients in rambutan cultivation, causing high production costs when correcting with synthetic fertilizers and alkaline correctives. Objective. To improves indicators of soil acidity using two calcareous amendments in the rambutan crop. Materials and methods. A trial was carried out between March and November 2023 under field conditions on a producer's farm in the municipality of San Francisco, Atlántida, Honduras. Increasing doses (0, 1, 2 and 3 Mg ha^-1) of two types of calcareous amendments: agricultural lime with 34,3 % Ca and 0,3 % Mg (AC) and calcite 25,5 % Ca y 1,2 % Mg (CAL), were evaluated. A randomized complete block design with a 4x4 factorial arrangement and three repetitions was used, giving rise to 16 treatments. The pH, exchangeable aluminum (Al³⁺), exchangeable acidity (Al³⁺+H⁺) and H⁺ were measured in the soil, on five occasions. Results. The individual use of each amendment stimulated the correction of the acidity indicators evaluated, the best dose was 3 Mg ha^-1. The pH of the soil increased as the doses of the two liming materials increased, where the highest dose (6 Mg ha^-1) combining both amendments showed the best response. The concentrations of H⁺, Al³⁺ and Al³⁺+ H⁺ decreased as liming doses increased, recording a similar effect when using 3 to 6 Mg ha^-1. In almost all the parameters analyzed, except for H⁺, significant changes were recorded until the fourth sampling, six months after the lime application, with CA showing slightly better results. Conclusions. Increasing doses of both calcareous amendments reduce the indicators of soil acidity in rambutan cultivation, agricultural lime provided better control.