The effects of gypsum and different organic waste on chemical properties and microbial respiration of a sodic soil

Document Type : Complete scientific research article

Author

Abstract

Background and objectives: An ever-increasing growth in global population and in demand for water and nutrients has led to the use of less qualified water and soil for food production. Most countries have been utilizing uncommon, marginal sources like sodic and saline soils, which exist in abundance there. For usability of saline-sodic lands, their undesirable physicochemical properties must be amended. Gypsum and organic materials are utilized as amendments to sodic soils. Gypsum is used for reclamation of sodic soils owing to its conservation of electrolyte concentration at the surface and improvement of soil physical properties. Being gradually decomposed, organic materials cause an increase in gypsum solubility and ameliorate sodic soil physicchemical properties. For this reason, this work aimed at an evaluation of the impact of organic materials at different C:N ratios, both on their own and accompanied by gypsum, on chemical properties and microbial respiration of a sodic soil.
Materials and Methods: A pot experiment including 27 treatments with three replications and a completely randomized block design was conducted in order to evaluate the impact of gypsum (0, 50 and 100℅ of gypsum requirement) both alone and accompanied by organic materials obtained from alfalfa plant residues, maize plant, date wastes and sawdust (1.5 and 3℅ organic carbon) on chemical properties and microbial respiration of a sodic soil. After the treatments were conducted, soil samples were incubated in the field capacity moisture at an appropriate temperature for two months; afterwards, soil sample was prepared from the experimental pots and soil chemical properties were measured before and after leaching. For leaching, water thickness was equivalent to the thickness of the leached layer of the soil. Furthermore, microbial respiration was measured immediately after the treatments were imposed.
Results: According the results from this study, before leaching, treatment of gypsum at 100% gypsum requirement accompanied by 3℅ organic carbon from date source exerted a maximum effect, increasing the electrical conductivity and reducing the soil pH. Also, after leaching, a reduction occurred in the soil pH and electrical conductivity in all treatments. Maximum decrease in sodium absorption ratio (SAR) before leaching was obtained from the treatment of gypsum without organic materials, reducing the value of SAR from 29.12 in the control to 17.78. After leaching, the highest decrease in SAR was obtained with 3℅ organic carbon from date source accompanied by 100℅ gypsum requirement, the value of SAR decreased from 12.69 to 9.36. Maximum rate of microbial respiration (296.34 mg C) was obtained by consumption of 3℅ organic carbon taken from date wastes as the source without any application of gypsum. The lowest rate of microbial respiration arose from treatments without any application of organic carbon and sawdust.
Conclusion: According to our results, coexistence of organic materials and gypsum has a maximum effect on the amendment of the sodic soil, on the condition that leaching is carried out after addition of gypsum and organic materials and two-month soil incubation. This way, salinity level and sodium exchange rate in soil can be considerably diminished. When leaching is not carried out after soil incubation, organic materials cause a rise in the undesirable properties of the soil, e.g. SAR. The higher C:N ratio in date wastes makes them have a higher decomposition rate and a more pleasant effect on the amendment of the sodic soil, as compared to alfalfa residues; simultaneous consumption of date wastes and gypsum intensified sodic soil amendment

Keywords


1.Abbott, L.K., and Murphy, D.V. 2003. Soil biological fertility: a key to sustainable land use in agriculture. Published by Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Natherlands.
2.Ahmad, S., Ghafoor, A., Qadir, M., and Aziz, M.A. 2006. Amelioration of a calcareous
saline-sodic soil by gypsum application and different crop rotations. Inter. J. Agric. Biol.
8: 2. 142-146.
3.Amezketa, E., Aragues, R., and Gazol, R. 2005. Efficiency of sulfuric acid, mined gypsum and two gypsum by products in soil crusting prevention and sodic soil reclamation. Agron. J. 97: 983-989.
4.Barral, M.T., Bujan, E., Devesa, R., Iglesias, M.L., and Velasco-Molina, M. 2007. Comparison of the structural stability of pasture and cultivated soils. Science of the Total Environment. 378: 174-178.
5.Barzegar, A.R., Nelson, P.N., Oades, J.M., and Rengasamy, P. 1997. Organic matter, sodicity, and clay type: Influence on soil aggregation. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J. 61: 4. 1131-1137.
6.Barzegar, A.R. 2008. Salt affected soils: Diagnosis and Productivity. 2nd Edition, ShahidChamranUniversity. (In Persian) 
7.Bednarz, C.W., Nichols, R.L., and Brown, S.M. 2007. Within-boll yield components of high yielding cotton cultivars. Crop Science. 47: 5. 2108-2112.
8.Bower, C.A., and Hatchea, J.T. 1966. Simultaneous determination of surface area and cation exchange capacity. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. Proc. 30: 525-527.
9.Bremner, J.M., and Mulvaney, C.S. 1982. Nitrogen total. Methods of soil analysis. Part 2. Chemical and microbiological properties. 9: 595-624.
10.Carter, M.R., and Gregorich, E.G. 2008. Soil Sampling and Methods Analysis. 2nd Edition. Canadian Society of Soil Science Publisher, 823p.
11.Chander, K., Goyal, S., and Kapoor, K.K. 1995. Microbial biomass dynamics during the decomposition of leaf litter of poplar and eucalyptus in a sandy loam. Biology and Fertility of Soils. 19: 4. 357-362.
12.Chaum, S., Pokasombat, Y., and Kirdmanee, C. 2011. Remediation of salt-affected soil by gypsum and farmyard manure importance for the production of Jasmine rice. Austr. J. Crop Sci. 5: 458-465.
13.Chorom, M., and Rengasamy, P. 1997. Blue arrow e-Alerts. Austr. J. Soil Res. 35: 1. 149-162.
14.Collins, H.P., Elliott, L.F., and Papendick, R.I. 1990. Wheat straw decomposition and changes in decomposability during field exposure. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J. 54: 4. 1013-1016.
 15.Conway, T. 2001. Plant materials and techniques for brine site reclamation (No. 26). Plant Materials Technical Note.
16.Franzen, D.W., and Richardson, J.L. 2000. Soil factors affecting iron chlorosis of soybean in the Red River Valley of North Dakota and Minnesota. J. Plant Nutr. 23: 1. 67-78.
17.Ghaneie Motlagh, Gh., Pashaee Aval, A., Khormali, F., and Mosaedi, A. 2010. Investigating effect of some amendments on soil chemical properties in a saline-sodic soil. Water. Manage. Res. J. 86: 24-31. (In Persian) 
18.Gharaibeh, M.A., Eltaif, N.I., and Shraah, S.H. 2010. Reclamation of a calcareous
saline-sodic soil using phosphoric acid and by-product gypsum. Soil Use and Management. 26: 93-195.
19.Gupta, R.K., and Abrol, I.P. 1990. Salt-affected soils: their reclamation and management for crop production. Advances in Soil Science. 11: 223-288.
20.Hanay, A., Buyuksonmez, F., Kiziloglu, F.M., and Canbolat, M.Y. 2004. Reclamation
of saline-sodic soils with gypsum and MSW compost. Compost Science and Utilization.
12: 175-179.
21.Jalali, M., and Ranjbar, F. 2009. Effects of sodic water on soil sodicity and nutrient leaching in poultry and sheep manure amended soils. Geoderma. 153: 1. 194-204.
22.Katerji, N., Van Hoorn, J.W., Hamdy, A., Mastrorilli, M., and Oweis, T. 2005. Salt tolerance analysis of chickpea, faba bean and durum wheat varieties I. Chickpea and faba bean. Agricultural Water Management. 72: 177-194.
23.Lanyon, L.E., and Heald, W.R. 1982. Magnesium, calcium, strontium and barium. P 247-262, In: A.L. Page (ED), Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 2. Chemical and Microbiological Properties. Guilford Rd., Madison, WI 53711, USA.  
24.Lebron, I., Suarez, D.L., and Yoshida, T. 2002. Gypsum effect on the aggregate size and geometry of three sodic soils under reclamation. Soil Sci. Soc. Amer. J. 66: 92-98.
25.Mashali, M. 1999. Overview of FAO Global Network on soil management for sustainable use of salt affected soils. In Proceedings of International Workshop on integrated soil management for sustainable use of salt affected soils. Bureau of Soils and Water Management. 3: 1-36.
26.Mishra, A., Sharma, S.D., and Khan, G.H. 2003. Improvement in physical and chemical properties of sodic soil by 3, 6 and 9 years old plantation of Eucalyptus tereticornis: Biorejuvenation of sodic soil. Forest Ecology and Management. 184: 1. 115-124.
27.Page, A.L., Miller, R.H., and Keeney, D.R. 1986. Methods of Soil Analysis. Part II. 2nd. Agron. Monogr. 9. ASA. And SSSA, Madison, Wisconsin. USA.
28.Page, A.L., Miller, R.H., and Keeney, D.R. 1982. Total carbon, organic carbon, and organic matter. Methods of soil analysis. Part 2: 539-579.
29.Qadir, M., Steffens, D., Yan, F., and Schubert, S. 2003. Sodium removal from a calcareous saline–sodic soil through leaching and plant uptake during phytoremediation. Land Degradation and Development. 14: 3. 301-307.
30.Sardinha, M., Muller, T., Schmeisky, H., and Joergensen, R.G. 2003. Microbial performance in soils along a salinity gradient under acidic conditions. Applied Soil Ecology. 23: 3. 237-244.
31.Sekhon, B.S., and Bajwa, M.S. 1993. Effect of organic matter and gypsum in controlling soil sodicity in rice-wheat-maize system irrigated with sodic waters. Agricultural Water Management. 24: 1. 15-25.
32.Tejada, M., and Gonzalez, J.L. 2006. The relationships between erodibility and erosion in a soil treated with two organic amendments. Soil and Tillage Research. 91: 1. 186-198.
33.Tripathi, S., Kumari, S., Chakraborty, A., Gupta, A., Chakrabarti, K., and Bandyapadhyay, B.K. 2006. Microbial biomass and its activities in salt-affected coastal soils. Biology and Fertility of Soils. 42: 3. 273-277.
34.Udayasoorian, C., Sebastian, S.P., and Jayabalakrishnan, R.M. 2009. Effect of amendments on problem soils with poor quality irrigation water under sugarcane crop. Amer. - Eur. J. Agric. Environ. Sci. 5: 618-626.
35.Wong, V.N., Dalal, R.C., and Greene, R.S. 2009. Carbon dynamics of sodic and saline soils following gypsum and organic material additions: laboratory incubation. Applied Soil Ecology. 41: 1. 29-40.
36.Wong, V.N., Greene, R.S.B., Dalal, R.C., and Murphy, B.W. 2010. Soil carbon dynamics in saline and sodic soils: a review. Soil Use and Management. 26: 1. 2-11.
37.Wong, V.N., Greene, R.S., Murphy, B.W., Dalal, R., and Mann, S. 2005. Decomposition of added organic material in salt-affected soils, P 333-337. In: I.C. Roach (Ed), Regolith. Cooperative Research Centre for Landscape Environments and Mineral Exploration Regional Regolith Symposia. Western Australia: Bentley.
38.Yazdanpanah, N., and Mahmoodabadi, M. 2011. Time monitoring of leachate quality during reclamation process of saline-sodic soil using soil column. Elec. J. Soil Manage. Sust. Prod. 1: 1. 1-20. (In Persian)