Abstract: 【Objective】 Application of lime is one of the traditional and effective methods for improving soil acidity to obtain crop yield, so it is very important to integratedly analysis of the effect and cause during liming to increase yield of crops by scientific and rational application of lime to maintain crop yield. Sustain crop production in acidic soils by rational application of lime.【Method】 The published data from 76 studies were collected, a relational database of soil pH-crop yield/biomass was developed. Then the crop growth rate (CGR) was assessed under initial soil pH (3.1-6.6), crop species (cereal crops, cash crops), application rate of lime (＜750, 750-1 500, 1 500-3 000, 3 000-6 000,＞6 000 kg·hm^-2) and lime type (calcium lime, slacked lime, limestone powder). 【Result】Compared to control (without liming), crop yield was promoted by liming in acidic soils, with CGR ranging from 2% to 255%, where CGR was 42% and 47% for cereal crops and cash crops, respectively, and where the order for cereal crops was maize (149%)＞sorghum (142%)＞wheat (55%)＞bean (32%)＞rice (4%)＞tuber (2%), whereas the order for cash crops was vegetable (255%)＞pasture (89%)＞rape (26%)＞fruit (23%)＞tobacco (7%). Under application of lime, with increasing initial soil pH, CGR first increased, reached a maximum where 99% at pH 4.3 was found, and then decreased, even less than zero at pH 5.8. In common acidic soils (pH 4.5-5.5), the optimal application rate of lime ranged from 3 000 to 6 000 kg·hm^-2, where CGR could reach 55%-173%. In addition, slacked lime showed the best effect on increasing crop yield, where CGR was 100%, higher than that of calcium lime (32%) and limestone powder (64%). Application of lime to improve soil pH and exchangeable calcium, decreased exchangeable aluminum content, which was the main cause of increased crop yield under application of lime to acidic soils. However, CGR reached the maximum at ΔpH was 1.5 and exchangeable calcium was 6.2 cmol·kg^-1, suggesting that a moderate amount of lime should be applied during ameliorating soil acidity. 【Conclusion】 The highest priority should be given to vegetable and maize when application of lime to acidic soils, and slacked lime would be employed as the first choice. The application rate of lime was recommended to be 3 000-6 000 kg·hm^-2, and no lime was applied at pH more than 5.8. That is, the pH target 5.8 should be set and correspondingly lime requirement be determined for amelioration of soil acidity.

Key words: acidic soil, lime, crop yield, integrated analysis, exchangeable calcium