Evolution of the pH-KCl condition of belgian agricultural soil between 1974 and 1983

A statistical analysis of the soil acidity (pH) of the fields and grasslands in Belgium and its geographical distribution is presented. The number of acidic crop land in all Belgian agricultural regions has decreased since 1974. In the same period, the number of fields with a high soil pH has increased. The primary reasons for these changes in soil pH are increased application of lime and the expanding area under sugar beet production. The cultivation of sugar beets as a field crop and the growth of the area devoted to sugar beet production has resulted in an increase of soil pH largely because: (I) fields growing sugar beets are normally well supplied with lime because a low pH can lead to aluminium toxicity; (II) sugar refining uses considerable amounts of lime, which is ultimately put on fields as sugar lime. Belgian grasslands are generally characterized by an optimal to high pH value. Only minor fluctuations in this situation have been observed over the last 10 years.