A half century of fertiliser and lime use in Ireland

Abstract

The importance of a satisfactory supply of nutrient elements and lime, in soils, is now universally recognised as one of the major factors in crop production. When a crop, either tillage or pasture, is harvested from a field, a portion of the soil's nutrients is taken away, resulting in fertility depletion. Another important source of loss is leaching. On soils naturally rich in nutrients the impact of this on productive capacity will of course be much less than on soils of low inherent nutrient supply. In the latter, crop and pasture yields are then directly related to the extent, to which losses are made good by the application of manures and fertilisers. It is of significance that in this country there are few, if any areas, where soils are naturally rich in nutrients.