Abstract

The effect of lime on shoot and root growth of eucalypt (Eucalyptus grandis) and mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla) seedlings (2 months old at the start of the experiment) was studied in acid soil (pH 5. 1) from Kerala (where most soils are acidic) contained in concrete pots. Lime was either mixed with soil at the rate of 0, 100, 200, 300, 400 and 500 g per pot (25 kg of soil), or split into 3 portions and placed at 0-20-40 and 5-20-40 cm depths at the rate of 400 g per pot. Results after 12 months showed a significant effect of lime treatments (both mixing and placing) on height growth and shoot and root dry matter of eucalypts and mahogany. For both species, the fastest growth was with 500 g lime mixed throughout the soil. The 5-20-40 split placement of 400 g lime gave similar results to the mixed-in treatment, with both giving better results than the 0-20-40 split treatment