Abstract            Volume:10  Issue-4  Year-2022         Original Research Articles

Online ISSN : 2347 - 3215 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcret@gmail.com

The high cost of inorganic fertilizers and high amount of lime application has precluded their use by smallholder farmers to remedy the problem of soil acidity and infertility in Ethiopia. To address the problem, we tested a precision technique referred to as micro-dosing of CaCO3 which involves application of small, affordable quantities of calcium carbonate on an acid soil in Jimma and Ilu Abba Bora, Ethiopia. Experimental treatments were CaCO3 (0, 6.5, 12.5, 25 and 33% of recommended lime based on calcium carbonate equivalence) of the actual requirement. Maize and soybean grain yield and above ground biomass were determined. CaCO3 were significantly affected both soybean and maize grain yield, above ground biomass and number of pods per plant for soybean. The highest grain yield of soybean was14.2Qu/ha and biomass were 7.69t/ha due to 33% of CaCO3 lime application. Similarly, the highest grain yields of maize were 57.39 Qu /ha due to 33% of CaCO3 lime application. However, economically 6.5 % CaCO3 is the best or economically feasible. Therefore, micro-dosing of CaCO3 can increase maize and soybean production on acid soils of Jimma and Ilu Abba Bora area and micro-dosing application of CaCO3 was an efficient and economically affordable method for small scale farmers.

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