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RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)
Contents Vol 76(5)

Changes in pasture and soil properties with liming and superphosphate application on five soils in the Central Tablelands of New South Wales over 12 years

P. M. Dowling A B F , I. A. Vimpany C D F , M. K. Conyers https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9811-4679 E F , G. D. Millar A , K. R. Helyar E F , D. L. Michalk A F , H. I. Nicol A F , J. Bradley D F , P. J. Milham D F G and R. C. Hayes https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0313-1757 E *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A NSW Department of Primary Industries, Orange Agricultural Institute, Forest Road, Orange, NSW 2800, Australia.

B Charles Sturt University, PO Box 883, Orange, NSW 2800, Australia.

C NSW Department of Primary Industries, Tropical Fruit Research Station, PO Box 72, Alstonville, NSW 2477, Australia.

D NSW Department of Primary Industries, Biological and Chemical Research Institute, PMB 10, Rydalmere, NSW 2116, Australia.

E NSW Department of Primary Industries, Wagga Wagga Agricultural Institute, PMB, Wagga Wagga, NSW 2650, Australia.

F Retired.

G Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW 2750, Australia.

* Correspondence to: richard.hayes@dpi.nsw.gov.au

Handling Editor: Brendan Cullen

Crop & Pasture Science 76, CP24336 https://doi.org/10.1071/CP24336
Submitted: 26 November 2024  Accepted: 17 April 2025  Published: 9 May 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Context

The decision to lime pastures requires understanding of the benefits and their duration.

Aims

To quantify the effects of contrasting rates of superphosphate and lime on soil chemistry and pasture productivity on five acidic soils over 12 years.

Methods

The sites were established in 1978 on the Central Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. Initial treatments of lime were 0, 0.63, 1.25, 2.5 and 5.0 t/ha. Single superphosphate (SSP) was top-dressed annually at 0, 125 and 250 kg/ha.

Key results

Across the five sites, initial pH increase due to liming was 0.3 units/t. After 12 years, pH declined to 0.1 pH units/t. Without lime, soil pH declined by ~0.02 units/year. For all lime treatments and sites, the annual decline averaged ~0.07 units/year. Annual applications of SSP were associated with lower soil pH and exchangeable soil K and higher Al saturation, but differences required 2–7 years to emerge. There was an increase in annual dry matter with SSP application. Lime generally increased pasture biomass, with pastures dominated by Trifolium subterraneum. Pasture yields generally increased with exchangeable Ca but yield responses to %Al were more variable.

Conclusions

A single application of lime had many enduring beneficial effects on soil chemistry, still evident 12 years following application and generally proportional to the quantum of lime initially applied. Ongoing applications of SSP led to cumulative changes in some soil properties and resulted in an increase in pasture productivity.

Implications

The historical view of lime and SSP being alternative investments is counterproductive. Pasture renovation may be necessary to realise the full benefit of lime and SSP application.

Keywords: Aluminium, calcium, cation exchange capacity, cocksfoot, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, soil pH, subterranean clover.

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