Effect of Salinity and Bentonite on the Characteristics of Mineral Soil and Behavior of Leguminous Plants (Vicia faba L.)

Abstract

To rehabilitate the degraded soils and to improve the quality of ­agricultural product, especially leguminous plants (Vicia faba L.), we used bentonite to ameliorate the physical and chemical properties of sandy soil. To evaluate the ecological advantage of bentonite, we studied the effect of increasing amounts of bentonite on the physical and chemical characteristics of analyzing pH, EC (electrical conductivity), total calcareous, active calcareous, total phosphorus, organic carbon, organic matter, total nitrogen, and cation-exchange capacity. In Algeria, the drought has increased salts in the rhizosphere in the soils of semiarid and arid areas. The objective of this study was to assess the response of leguminous plants (Vicia faba L.) to increasing levels of salts, the combined effect of bentonite/salts to certain metabolic activities, mineral contents, and morphophysiological behavior of the plant response to abiotic stress. It is observed that variability exists in the physical and chemical characteristics and morphological growth of the plant according to the bentonite amount mixed in the sandy soil sample.