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Extent of Soil Acidity in No-Tillage Systems in the Western Cape Province of South Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Adriaan Liebenberg

    (Department of Agronomy, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa)

  • John Richard (Ruan) van der Nest

    (Department of Agronomy, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa)

  • Ailsa G. Hardie

    (Department of Soil Science, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa)

  • Johan Labuschagne

    (Western Cape Department of Agriculture, Elsenburg 7606, South Africa)

  • Pieter Andreas Swanepoel

    (Department of Agronomy, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch 7602, South Africa)

Abstract

Roughly 90% of farmers in the Western Cape Province of South Africa have converted to no-tillage systems to improve the efficiency of crop production. Implementation of no-tillage restricts the mixing of soil amendments, such as limestone, into soil. Stratification of nutrients and pH is expected. A soil survey was conducted to determine the extent and geographical spread of acid soils and pH stratification throughout the Western Cape. Soil samples ( n = 653) were taken at three depths (0–5, 5–15, 15–30 cm) from no-tillage fields. Differential responses ( p ≤ 0.05) between the two regions (Swartland and southern Cape), as well as soil depth, and annual rainfall influenced ( p ≤ 0.05) exchangeable acidity, Ca and Mg, pH (KCl) , and acid saturation. A large portion (19.3%) of soils (specifically in the Swartland region) had at least one depth increment with pH (KCl) ≤ 5.0, which is suboptimal for wheat ( Triticum aestivum ), barley ( Hordeum vulgare ), and canola ( Brassica napus ). Acid saturation in the 5–15 cm depth increment in the Swartland was above the 8% threshold for production of most crops. Acid soils are a significant threat to crop production in the region and needs tactical agronomic intervention (e.g. strategic tillage) to ensure sustainability.

Suggested Citation

  • Adriaan Liebenberg & John Richard (Ruan) van der Nest & Ailsa G. Hardie & Johan Labuschagne & Pieter Andreas Swanepoel, 2020. "Extent of Soil Acidity in No-Tillage Systems in the Western Cape Province of South Africa," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-17, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:9:y:2020:i:10:p:361-:d:421501
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kenward, Michael G. & Roger, James H., 2009. "An improved approximation to the precision of fixed effects from restricted maximum likelihood," Computational Statistics & Data Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 53(7), pages 2583-2595, May.
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