Summary
This multi-site European field study investigated whether liming—a common agricultural management practice—could increase soil microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) to support soil organic carbon accumulation. The researchers found that CUE responses to liming follow a U-shaped curve relative to soil pH, with the lowest CUE occurring at approximately pH 6.4, meaning that liming effects vary substantially depending on initial soil pH. Although liming is confirmed as relevant to climate-smart agriculture, the complex and variable effects on carbon cycling make it difficult to reliably predict impacts on SOC stocks.
Regional applicability
The study included long-term field experiments from European agricultural soils, making the findings directly applicable to United Kingdom farming conditions where liming is a widespread practice, particularly on acidic soils. However, the non-linear pH–CUE relationship suggests that UK farmers must consider initial soil pH status when predicting liming outcomes on SOC stocks.
Key measures
Soil pH (pHH2O), microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE), microbial biomass carbon, abundance of microbial domains, soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, organic carbon inputs
Outcomes reported
The study measured carbon use efficiency (CUE), microbial biomass carbon, microbial domain abundance, and soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks in response to liming across three European long-term field experiments, with both field and laboratory assessments. It examined the relationship between soil pH changes induced by liming and resulting shifts in CUE and SOC dynamics.
Topic tags
Dig deeper with Pulse AI.
Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.