Agricultural lime is also called aglime, Biolime, agricultural limestone, garden lime or liming  and is a soil additive made from pulverised limestone or chalk.

The primary active component of aglime is calcium carbonate. Additional chemicals present in aglime vary depending on the mineral source and may include calcium oxide, magnesium oxide and magnesium carbonate.

The effects of agricultural lime on soil are:

• It increases the pH of acidic soil (the higher the pH the less acidic the soil); in other words, soil acidity is reduced and alkalinity increased
• It provides a source of calcium and magnesium for plants
• It permits improved water penetration for acidic soils
• It improves the uptake of major plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) of plants growing on acid soils.

Lime may occur naturally in some soils but may require addition of sulfuric acid for its agricultural benefits to be realised.

Gypsum is also used to supply calcium for plant nutrition.

Other forms of lime have common applications in agriculture and gardening, including dolomitic lime and hydrated lime.

Dolomitic lime may be used as a soil input to provide similar effects as agricultural lime, while supplying magnesium in addition to calcium.

In livestock farming, hydrated lime can be used as a disinfectant measure, producing a dry and alkaline environment in which bacteria do not readily multiply.

In horticultural farming it can be used as an insect repellent, without causing harm to the pest or plant.

The primary reason to apply agricultural lime is to correct the high levels of acidity in the soil. Acid soils reduce plant growth by inhibiting the intake of major plant nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium).

Some plants, particularly legumes, will not grow in highly acidic soils. This is vital to maximise crop yield, animal grazing and good quality silage/hay.

Soils become acidic in a number of ways. Locations that have high rainfall levels become acidic through leaching. Land used for crop and livestock purposes lose minerals over time by crop removal and become acidic. For example when a 600 pound calf is removed from a pasture, 100 pounds of bone is also removed, which is 60% calcium compounds. The application of modern chemical fertilisers is a major contributor to soil acid by the process in which the plant nutrients react in the soil.

Aglime, which is high in calcium, can also be beneficial to soils where the land is used for breeding and raising foraging animals. Bone growth is key to a young animal’s development and bones are composed primarily of calcium and phosphorus. Young mammals get their needed calcium through milk, which has calcium as one of its major components. Dairymen frequently apply aglime because it increases milk production.