Mid-infrared spectroscopy as an alternative to laboratory extraction for the determination of lime requirement in tillage soils

•MIR-DRIFTS calibration for SMP-buffer lime requirement built for tillage fields.•Model results 0.2 < R2 < 0.8, 0.7 < RMSEP < 3.2 and 0.5 < RPIQ < 2.9 in validation.•Loading weights indicate organic matter, clay and carbonates as model drivers.•Prediction of field variability not precise enough.•MIR predicted field averages lie close to laboratory averages.