ABSTRACT
Lime and wood ash as amendments in acidic soil can increase the quality of Phaseolus vulgaris

Magdalena Francisco-Catarina1, Demetrio Salvador Fernandez-Reynoso1*, Rogelio Carrillo-Gonzalez1, Hector Manuel Ortega-Escobar1, Jose Luis Garcia-Rodriguez2, Axel Eduardo Rico-Sanchez1, Daniel Hernandez-Diaz1, and Jesus Eulises Corona-Sanchez1
 
Among the consequences of acidity, low fertility significantly impacts agricultural yields. However, it can be mitigated by using amendments to increase the pH and improve nutrient uptake efficiency. This study evaluated the effect of applying lime, dolomite, and wood ash, with phosphate rock, on soil pH, bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) growth, yield, nutritional quality, and economic viability under controlled conditions. Nineteen treatments were applied to a slightly acidic soil under a completely randomized design. Data were analyzed using Tukey and Kruskal-Wallis tests, revealing differences among the treatments. In the bloom stage, dolomite affected height, diameter, Chl a/b ratio, and leaf P concentration (56%). At the same time, lime increased pod number, and wood ash increased leaf biomass by 47% vs. the control. At physiological maturity, all three amendments increased the pH, while lime increased width and the P (257%), K (314%), Ca (180%), Mg (233%), Fe (240%), and Mn (167%) in seeds, compared to the control. These results suggest that amendments, especially wood ash, can increase bean yield up to 1290.8 kg ha-1 and seed quality in slightly acidic soils, resulting in a net gain of US$369.3 per hectare.
Keywords: Acidity, dolomite, micronutrients, phosphate rock, phosphorus.
1Colegio de Postgraduados, Campus Montecillo, Montecillo, 56230 Texcoco, Estado de Mexico, Mexico.
2Escuela Tecnica Superior de Ingeniería de Montes, Forestal y del Medio Natural, 28040 Madrid, España.
*Corresponding author (demetrio@colpos.mx)