Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40715504›Full record

ArticleNature food2025

Soil acidity remediation in sub-Saharan Africa requires targeted investments.

João Vasco Silva, Fernando Aramburu-Merlos, Frédéric Baudron, Samuel Gameda, Tesfaye Shiferaw Sida, Vicky Ruganzu, Joel Meliyo, Moti Jaleta, Jordan Chamberlin, Robert J Hijmans

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nature food, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Soil pH Amelioration Synergizes Carbon Accrual with Yield Gains Under Organic Substitution.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

João Vasco SilvaInternational Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Harare, Zimbabwe. jvasco323@posteo.net.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3019-5895
Fernando Aramburu-MerlosUniversity of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0957-7482
Frédéric BaudronInternational Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Harare, Zimbabwe.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5648-2083
Samuel GamedaInternational Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Tesfaye Shiferaw SidaInternational Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Vicky RuganzuRwanda Agriculture and Animal Resources Development Board (RAB), Kigali, Rwanda.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4534-2517
Joel MeliyoTanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI), Dodoma, Tanzania.
Moti JaletaInternational Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3151-4018
Jordan ChamberlinInternational Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Nairobi, Kenya.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9522-3001
Robert J HijmansUniversity of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5872-2872

Funding

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation) INV-068374
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Acid soils are widespread across sub-Saharan Africa. Agricultural lime can be used to alleviate production constraints associated with soil acidity, but lime is not widely available in the region, and it is unclear if applying it would be profitable. Using lime requirement models and crop yield responses to soil acidity modelled as plateau-linear decay functions, we estimated the profitability of acid soil remediation through liming. Crop yield loss to soil acidity occurs on 32.7 Mha, or 23% of sub-Saharan Africa's cropland. The burden of acid soils is US$6.0 billion (6% of the current production value), and 75% of that could be profitably alleviated. Under prevailing conditions, liming would be profitable in the year of application on 6.2 Mha (with an average profitability of US$278 ha

Indexed as

AgricultureEnvironmental Restoration and RemediationOxidesSoilAfrica South of the SaharaCalcium CompoundsCrops, AgriculturalHydrogen-Ion ConcentrationCalcium CompoundslimeOxidesSoil

Identifiers

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.