Fertilizer and agricultural lime serve different purposes in soil amendment:
Fertilizer supplies nutrients (like nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, etc.) to plants, directly boosting growth and yield.
Agricultural lime (crushed limestone ) doesn’t add nutrients in large amounts except calcium majorly; instead, it neutralizes soil acidity, raises pH, and improves soil structure, making existing nutrients more available.
Fertilizer feeds plants, while lime corrects soil acidity and enhances nutrient uptake.
Uses of lime in agriculture
(i) It is applied to the soil to neutralize soil acidity.
(ii) improves soil structure.
(iii) releases calcium ions (Ca ++) to plants for tissue development.
(iv) increases rate of water percolation in clay soil.
(v) reduces the toxicity of dissolved copper and magnesium in the soil.