THE INFLUENCE OF LIMING AND DIFFERENT TILLAGE DEPTHS ON AGROCHEMICAL SOIL INDICATORS

Abstract

The article examines the influence of different liming materials and tillage depth on agrochemical soil indicators. The research was conducted in 2025 in southwestern Lithuania, in the Keturvalakiai district of the Vilkaviškis region. In the village of Patilčiai. On Airidas Vakarinas' farm. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of different liming materials (dolomite flour, limestone, and chalk) on soil pH, mobile phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) content, applying a tillage depth of 10 and 20 cm. The study was conducted under field conditions, using control and limed variants, and soil samples were taken 3 and 6 months after liming. Soil pH was determined using potentiometric methods, and K and P were determined using CAL (calcium acetate-lactate) laboratory methods. The results of the study showed that liming reduced soil pH in all cases, with the greatest effect observed when chalk was used. It was found that the depth of tillage affected the distribution of phosphorus and potassium in the soil – deeper tillage more often resulted in higher concentrations of these elements in the 0-20 cm layer. It is likely that this was due to the fact that minimal tillage methods had been used on the farm for a long time and no NPK fertilizers had been used, resulting in a significant reduction in the amounts of mobile phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) in the topsoil layer, and the soil had been tilled to a depth of less than 10 cm for a long time. It was also observed that after 6 months, the phosphorus and potassium content decreased in some variants. The results of the study show that the effectiveness of liming materials depends on their depth of incorporation, so this factor must be taken into account when planning soil improvement measures.