EFFECT OF SOME SOIL AMENDMENTS ON SALINE-SODIC SOILS RECLAMATION

Elazazi, Ahmed M.E.; Ibrahim, A. H.; Metwally, A. S.; Abdel-Fattah, M. K.

doi:10.21608/zjar.2017.53860

EFFECT OF SOME SOIL AMENDMENTS ON SALINE-SODIC SOILS RECLAMATION

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Soil Sci. Dept., Fac. Agric., Zagazig Univ., Egypt

10.21608/zjar.2017.53860

Abstract

A leaching experiment was conducted to asses efficiency of gypsum solely or in combination with sulfuric acid and/or botanical compost on saline-sodic soils reclamation. Soil samples were collected from El-Hossainia plain, El-Sharkia Governorate, Egypt. The following treatments were designed in a randomized complete block design and performed in 8 replicates:T1: non-treated soil “NTS”, T2: full gypsum requirements “FGR”, T3: FGR + sulfuric acid “SA”, T4: FGR + SA + botanical compost 1% “BC-1%”, T5: FGR + SA + botanical compost 2% “BC-2%”, T6: FGR + BC-1%, T7: FGR + BC-2%, T8: ½ gypsum requirements “½ GR”, T9: ½ GR + SA, T10: ½ GR + SA + BC-1%, T11: ½ GR + SA + BC-2%, T12: ½ GR + BC-1% and T13: ½ GR + BC-2%. Leaching was done using the intermittent method so as to add portions to the already saturated soil columns, and obtain leachates equal to the added portions. Amounts of water were calculated to reduce the initial EC_e from 66 to 4-dSm^-1 for 20-cm soil according to Reeve equation. All treatments decreased soil EC, soil pH and soil sodicity expressed as SAR and ESP. Results showed that ½ GR + SA + BC-2% treatment was more effective in decreasing the pH, EC and soil sodicity than the other treatments. Efficiency of treatments were T11 < T5 < T4 < T3 < T10 < T7 < T9 < T6 < T2 < T8 < T13 < T12 < T1. This study suggests that leaching using gypsum in combination with sulfuric acid and/or botanical compost on saline-sodic soils reclamation is reliable on ameliorating salinity and sodicity or such soils.

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