asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will state the total estimated deficiency in lime and phosphate in all arable land in 1948 and what annual distribution of these manures would be necessary to correct this deficiency in a period of five years.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Lime and Phosphate Deficiency in Land.
It is impossible to give precise figures for lime and phosphate deficiencies.
It has been estimated that approximately 10,000,000 tons of ground limestone or its equivalent, would be needed to correct lime deficiency in the soils of the State. To rectify this deficiency within five years an annual application of 2,000,000 tons of ground limestone or its equivalent would be needed and a fairly high rate of application subsequent to that period would be desirable.
It is not practicable for a phosphatic deficiency to be corrected in the same way as a lime deficiency. To ensure the adequate phosphate nutrition of crops and grass in the country would require an annual application of approximately 125,000 tons of made up of, say, 250,000 tons of 16 per cent. superphosphate and 320,000 tons of ground rock phosphate.