Analyzing the efficiency of soil amendments and irrigation for plant production on heterogeneous sandy soils under greenhouse conditions

Abstract

AbstractVariability in soil properties is a complication for fertilization, irrigation, and amendment application. However, only limited progress has been made in managing soil variability for uniform productivity and increased water‐use efficiency. This study was designed to ameliorate the poor‐productivity areas of the variable sandy soils in Florida citrus groves by using frequent small irrigations and applying organic and inorganic soil amendments. Two greenhouse experiments were set up with sorghum and radish as bioassay crops in a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The factors studied were two soil‐productivity classes (very poor and very good), two water contents (50% and 100% of field capacity), two amendments (phosphatic clay and Fe humate), and two amendment rates (10 and 25 g kg–1 for sorghum and 50 and 100 g kg–1 for radish). Amendments applied at 50 and 100 g kg–1 increased the water‐holding capacity (WHC) of poor soil by 2‐ to 6‐fold, respectively. The lower rates (10 and 25 g kg–1) of amendments were not effective in enhancing sorghum growth. The higher rates (50 and 100 g kg–1) doubled the radish growth as compared to the control. The results indicate that rates greater than 50 g kg–1 of both amendments were effective in improving water retention and increasing productivity. Irrigation treatment of 100% of field capacity (FC) increased the sorghum and radish growth by about 2‐fold as compared with the 50%–water content treatment. The results suggest that the root‐zone water content should be maintained near FC by frequent small irrigations to enhance water availability in excessively drained sandy soils. In addition, application of soil amendments in the root zone can enhance the water retention of these soils. Furthermore, managing variable sandy soils with WHC‐based irrigation can increase water uptake and crop production in the poor areas of the grove.