Soil acidity is a critical global constraint to agricultural productivity, causing nutrient deficiencies, aluminum toxicity, and impaired microbial function. While liming is a fundamental corrective practice, its efficacy and sustainability can be significantly enhanced through integration with organic and inorganic fertilizers. This systematic review synthesizes current research on the synergistic effects of these combined amendments on soil acidity amelioration and crop productivity. Our analysis demonstrates that co-application consistently outperforms single amendments, leading to a more substantial increase in soil pH, a greater reduction in exchangeable aluminum, and improved nutrient availability and retention. These soil improvements translate directly into significant enhancements in crop growth, yield, and nutrient uptake. The mechanisms underpinning these synergies include improved lime dissolution and buffering capacity from organic matter, complexation of toxic aluminum ions, and stimulation of microbial communities that drive nutrient cycling. Furthermore, integrated nutrient management mitigates the accelerated acidification often associated with sole mineral fertilizer use. This review concludes that the judicious combination of lime, organic materials, and inorganic fertilizers represents a potent strategy for sustainable intensification of agriculture on acid soils. It offers a pathway to enhance productivity, improve long-term soil health, reduce environmental impacts, and contribute to global food security. Future research should focus on optimizing application protocols for specific agro-ecological contexts and elucidating the long-term dynamics of these interactions.
| Published in | Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering (Volume 9, Issue 2) |
| DOI | 10.11648/j.jcebe.20250902.14 |
| Page(s) | 72-82 |
| Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2025. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Synergistic Effects, Organic Fertilizers, Inorganic Fertilizers, Liming, Soil Acidity
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APA Style
Regasa, A., Haile, W., Abera, G. (2025). Synergistic Effects of Lime with Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on Soil Acidity and Crop Productivity. Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering, 9(2), 72-82. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20250902.14
ACS Style
Regasa, A.; Haile, W.; Abera, G. Synergistic Effects of Lime with Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on Soil Acidity and Crop Productivity. J. Chem. Environ. Biol. Eng. 2025, 9(2), 72-82. doi: 10.11648/j.jcebe.20250902.14
AMA Style
Regasa A, Haile W, Abera G. Synergistic Effects of Lime with Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on Soil Acidity and Crop Productivity. J Chem Environ Biol Eng. 2025;9(2):72-82. doi: 10.11648/j.jcebe.20250902.14
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Download@article{10.11648/j.jcebe.20250902.14,
author = {Abu Regasa and Wassie Haile and Girma Abera},
title = {Synergistic Effects of Lime with Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on Soil Acidity and Crop Productivity},
journal = {Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering},
volume = {9},
number = {2},
pages = {72-82},
doi = {10.11648/j.jcebe.20250902.14},
url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20250902.14},
eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.jcebe.20250902.14},
abstract = {Soil acidity is a critical global constraint to agricultural productivity, causing nutrient deficiencies, aluminum toxicity, and impaired microbial function. While liming is a fundamental corrective practice, its efficacy and sustainability can be significantly enhanced through integration with organic and inorganic fertilizers. This systematic review synthesizes current research on the synergistic effects of these combined amendments on soil acidity amelioration and crop productivity. Our analysis demonstrates that co-application consistently outperforms single amendments, leading to a more substantial increase in soil pH, a greater reduction in exchangeable aluminum, and improved nutrient availability and retention. These soil improvements translate directly into significant enhancements in crop growth, yield, and nutrient uptake. The mechanisms underpinning these synergies include improved lime dissolution and buffering capacity from organic matter, complexation of toxic aluminum ions, and stimulation of microbial communities that drive nutrient cycling. Furthermore, integrated nutrient management mitigates the accelerated acidification often associated with sole mineral fertilizer use. This review concludes that the judicious combination of lime, organic materials, and inorganic fertilizers represents a potent strategy for sustainable intensification of agriculture on acid soils. It offers a pathway to enhance productivity, improve long-term soil health, reduce environmental impacts, and contribute to global food security. Future research should focus on optimizing application protocols for specific agro-ecological contexts and elucidating the long-term dynamics of these interactions.},
year = {2025}
}
TY - JOUR T1 - Synergistic Effects of Lime with Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on Soil Acidity and Crop Productivity AU - Abu Regasa AU - Wassie Haile AU - Girma Abera Y1 - 2025/12/08 PY - 2025 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20250902.14 DO - 10.11648/j.jcebe.20250902.14 T2 - Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering JF - Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering JO - Journal of Chemical, Environmental and Biological Engineering SP - 72 EP - 82 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2640-267X UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.jcebe.20250902.14 AB - Soil acidity is a critical global constraint to agricultural productivity, causing nutrient deficiencies, aluminum toxicity, and impaired microbial function. While liming is a fundamental corrective practice, its efficacy and sustainability can be significantly enhanced through integration with organic and inorganic fertilizers. This systematic review synthesizes current research on the synergistic effects of these combined amendments on soil acidity amelioration and crop productivity. Our analysis demonstrates that co-application consistently outperforms single amendments, leading to a more substantial increase in soil pH, a greater reduction in exchangeable aluminum, and improved nutrient availability and retention. These soil improvements translate directly into significant enhancements in crop growth, yield, and nutrient uptake. The mechanisms underpinning these synergies include improved lime dissolution and buffering capacity from organic matter, complexation of toxic aluminum ions, and stimulation of microbial communities that drive nutrient cycling. Furthermore, integrated nutrient management mitigates the accelerated acidification often associated with sole mineral fertilizer use. This review concludes that the judicious combination of lime, organic materials, and inorganic fertilizers represents a potent strategy for sustainable intensification of agriculture on acid soils. It offers a pathway to enhance productivity, improve long-term soil health, reduce environmental impacts, and contribute to global food security. Future research should focus on optimizing application protocols for specific agro-ecological contexts and elucidating the long-term dynamics of these interactions. VL - 9 IS - 2 ER -
College of Agriculture and Natural Resource, Dambi Dollo University, Dambi Dollo, Ethiopia;College of Agriculture, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia
College of Agriculture, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia
Ethiopian Agricultural Transformation Agency, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
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