HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Buerkert, A. Articles by Munns, D. N. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Buerkert, A. Articles by Munns, D. N. Agricola Articles by Buerkert, A. Articles by Munns, D. N.

Soil Acidity and Liming Effects on Stand, Nodulation, and Yield of Common Bean

Dep. of Agron. and Range Sci. Univ. of California, Davis 95616

R. de la Piedra and D. N. Munns

Inst. Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales y Agropecuarias INIFAP, Ocozocoautla, Chis 29140, Mexico
Dep. of Land, Air and Water Resour. Univ. of California, Davis 95616

^* Corresponding author.

The area planted to common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) has been declining in the Southern Mexican State of Chiapas. To determine factors limiting bean productivity in this region, on-farm experiments were conducted at four locations. Soils were Acrisols (Ustults) at two sites and a Cambisol (Tropept) and Phaeozem (Ustoll) at the other two sites, with pH (H₂O) of unlimed soil from 4.6 to 5.0. Insecticide application, genotype, and lime were treatments in a split-plot design with a factorial combination of two genotypes and 0 or 2000 kg Ca(OH)₂ ha^–1 as subplots. Across sites, lime addition raised soil pH by 0.4 to 1.3 units, decreased Al saturation by 13 to 38%, and increased extractable Ca two-to three-fold. Mean yield without lime was 444 kg ha^–1 ha. Insecticide and bean genotype had negligible effects on yield. Lime application resulted in a yield increase of 76 to 313% above unlimed controls across locations. Liming resulted in 40% greater shoot and 18% greater root dry weight, and also improved nodule weight per plant by 110% at early flowering. At maturity, plant density in limed treatments was 23% higher than in unlimed controls, and counts made during the season indicated that soil acidity factors inhibit seedling establishment. Liming also increased pod number per plant by 67%, seed number per pod by 18%, and seed weight by 7%. Increased yield from lime therefore resulted from better stand establishment, and increased seed yield per plant. Increased nodulation and N₂ fixation may also contribute to the response to lime.

Received for publication April 6, 1989.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				I. Allahdadi, C. J. Beauchamp, and F.-P. Chalifour Symbiotic Dinitrogen Fixation in Forage Legumes Amended with High Rates of De-Inking Paper Sludge Agron. J., July 1, 2004; 96(4): 956 - 965. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]