Omya Calciprill

The New Choice in Liming

Introduction
Over the last fty years, work in the USA, Scandinavia and Australia has demonstrated
that nely ground particles of lime have a much greater and swifter effect on soil pH
than coarse particles as well as showing a similar
long term effect. Given a sufciently ne powder, a
smaller volume will have a similar effect to a much
larger volume of a coarse lime. Over the last num-
ber of years, Omya has developed a new product
for the agricultural market called Omya Calciprill.
Omya Calciprill is manufactured using ne particle
high quality limestone with 95% of particles less
than 75 microns. These are granulated for highly
accurate and convenient spreading. The granules
are formulated to break down very readily on con-
tact with soil moisture allowing rapid dissolution.
Aim of Omya Calciprill
Omya Calciprill as a best source of calcium carbonate is required to form new plant cells,
so it is essential for the growing points of shoots and roots, for root hair and for leaf
development.
Additionally, the use of Omya Calciprill will allow farmers to carry out regular soil
maintenance to improve the efciency of all nutrient applications. Soil pH is the key to
agricultural protability and efcient liming should be seen as a priority.
Development
Forty years ago it was assumed that all material passing through a 250 micron sieve
was 100% effective during the rst three years (Thompson & Treoh, 1973). However
that view was challenged by work carried out by Scott, Conyers, Fisher and Lill in
Australia (1992).They found that the continued reaction of coarse particles beyond
six months was slight, suggesting that slow breakdown over a long period did not
occur signicantly. They also found that progressively ner particles produced larger
increases in pH. Their study concluded: the capacity of limestone to increase pH was
log-linearly related to particle size In other words there was an exponential increase
in lime effectiveness as particle size decreased.
Currently, lime application tends to be by irregular,
large applications of material classied by chemi-
cal content (Neutralizing Value). The coarse mate-
rial has a delayed effect on soil pH leading to ex-
cessive swings of soil pH. Application is performed
by contractors using specialist machinery. This ap-
proach is both inexible and inaccurate as well as
being a high cost. As with other fertilizers, the ad-
vantages of using a granulated lime for ease and
accuracy of spreading and cost effectiveness are
clear. There has long been recognition that smaller
particles are more effective.
The principles of soil acidication and bents of liming are well understood. The
most recent work has found that particles of < 75 microns are 100% efcient.
It is important that any description of lime to predict its effectiveness should
refer to both its chemical composition and and the neness of the particles.
The development of Omya Calciprill enables users to handle their lime applica-
tions in a exible and timely manner. As we have seen from the results above,
you will achieve an equivalent response using Omya Calciprill at 20% of the
level of normal Aglime. The use of Omya Calciprill will allow cost effective
maintenance of soil pH balance rather than a rescue attempt with large quan-
tities of lime. Indeed pH management should be viewed in the same way as
Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potash application.
Conclusion
This graph demonstrates the exponential rise in the soil
effectiveness as the mean particle diameter decreases.
This graph shows that reducing the particle size had a
much larger effect on soil pH than raising the application
rate by a factor of four.
Particle Size and Application Rate Impact on pH of the Soil
The Development of subsoil acidity and the implications
for acid sensitive plants
2.5 0.0 0.5 5.0 1.0 7.5 1.5 10.0 2.0 2.5 3.0 0.0
Lime rate (tonnes ha
-1
) Particle diameter (mm)
0.0
4.5
4.0
0.5
5.0
1.0
5.5
1.5
6.0
2.0
6.5
2.5
7.0
3.0
p
H
C
h
a
n
g
e

i
n

p
H
2.5 t/ha
5 t/ha
10 t/ha
3 mm
0.005 mm
Omya
Calciprill
Omya Calciprill
No acidic soil problems
Acidication starts at the surface restricting surface root development
Acidity is leached to depth when the pH
Ca

of the surface soils drops below 5.0
and all root growth is restricted
Subsurface soil acidity is permanent as
surface applied lime only corrects acidity
in the surface soil
Acid Soil
The information provided herein is based on research that Omya believes to be reliable, however Omya makes no representation or warranty as to the comple-
teness or accuracy thereof and Omya assumes no liability resulting from its use or for any claims, losses, or damages of any third party. Recipients receiving this
information must exercise their own judgement as to the appropriateness of its use, and it is the users responsibility to assess the materials suitability (including
safety) for a particular purpose prior to such use.
Omya Australia Pty Ltd. | Lvl 2, 280 Pacific Highway | Lindfield - New South Wales
Tel: +61 2 9416 6077 | www.omya.com
V:131802
Natural products
for sustainability
Chemical Analysis Property Typical Value
CaCO
3
95%
MgCO
3
3.5%
Particle Sizing Before Granulation After Granulation
0 - 100 m 2 - 6 mm
Neutralizing value 99
Properties of Omya Calciprill
Advantages of Omya Calciprill
High purity calcium carbonate
Cost effective
Immediate soil pH improvement followed by a fast response from the crop
No specialist contractors needed (farmers can use their own spreading machinery)
Flexible application over the year
Less wind drift inuence (dont lime your neighbor)
Useful in precision agriculture
Can be used to spot treat problem areas
Excellent source of Calcium, an essential nutrient important in plant cell structure
Correction applications are calculated according to soil type. This would normally be in
the range of 100-300 Kg per hectare and for best results should be applied each year.
Soils Kg per Ha Kg per Acre
Sand/Loamy sands 100 40
Sandy/silt loams 150 60
Clay/loamy clays 200 80
Organic 10%-25% 250 100
Organic + 25% 300 120
Application Rates (0.1 pH Improvement)