Abstract:
An incubation study and a potculture experiment were conducted with two acid rice
soils of Kerala, using three Mg sources, viz., magnesite, dolomite and magnesium sulphate tried at
two levels of Mg (25 and 50 kg MgO ha ) to study the influence of added Mg on soil characteristics.
Available Mg of the karappadam soil was significantly higher than that of the laterite soil. There
was no significant difference between the three Mg sources with regard to their contribution to
available Mg in the soil. But the Mg availability increased with raised levels of Mg application. A
negative relationship was noticed between available K and Mg fractions in the soil. Different sources
and levels of applied Mg did not have any significant influence on NILjOAc extractable Ca.
Magnesium application raised the pH of the soils. Efficiency of the different Mg sources in correcting
the acidic soil reaction was in the order of magnesite dolomite magnesium sulphate.
