Improving soil physical indicators by soil amendment to a saline-sodic soil.

Abstract

The application of organic amendments can be an appropriate solution to reclaim and improve physical propertiesof saline-sodic soils. In this research, an experiment was performed under greenhouse conditions to study the effect ofamendments to the physical properties of loamy saline-sodic soil. The five treatments were control (withoutamendment), municipal solid waste compost (MC), vermicomposting (VC), poultry manure (PM), and gypsumpowder (G). They were carried out in a completely randomized design with three replications. Each treatmentcomprised 10 ton/ha of the specified soil added to the soil. The results showed that soil amendments decreased bulkdensity (p<0.05) and increased mean weight diameter of aggregates (MWD) (p<0.05) over the control. The saturatedhydraulic conductivity (Ks) for the G treatment was significantly higher than other treatments (p<0.05). The additionof amendments significantly increased the Sgi index, which is defined as the slope of the retention curve at itsinflection point, but the Sgi index between the G and MC treatments was not significant (p<0.05). In addition, plantavailable water content (PAWC) increased significantly (p<0.05) for organic amendments over the G and controltreatments, and a maximum value was observed for the PM treatment. The positive effects of the amendmentsshowed that the application of organic and/or inorganic amendments can be recommended for saline-sodic soil toimprove soil physical quality.