Part 1, Section 2: Soil Fertility Management
Soil Fertility Management
SOIL ACIDITY AND LIMING
Purity
The limestone recommendation on most soil test reports, including the Penn State soil test report, is based on the use of a liming material that is equivalent in neutralizing power to pure calcium carbonate—that is, a material with a calcium carbonate equivalent (CCE) of 100 percent. This does not mean that you have to use a liming material that is 100 percent CCE. However, you must adjust the recommended amount of any liming material not equivalent to pure calcium carbonate limestone in neutralizing power (higher or lower than 100 percent CCE) so that you actually apply the correct amount of liming material to neutralize the acidity in your soil. All agricultural liming materials sold in Pennsylvania must, by law, be labeled with their calcium carbonate equivalent. Using the CCE of your liming material, you can calculate the actual amount required to neutralize the acidity in your soil (as shown to the right), or read directly from Table 1.2-1.
