The effect of perennial herbs on the physical properties of saline soils

Abstract

It is shown that the physical and water-physical properties of saline chernozemic-meadow soils improve under the impact of artificially sown perennial herbs: the content of water-stable aggregates >0.25 mm increases, the bulk density of the topsoil decreases, and the soil permeability increases. As the grass cover becomes older, the soil permeability somewhat decreases, though it remains higher in comparison with the soil without the plant cover. The effect of annual crops on the physical properties of the soils is less pronounced. The improvement of soil physical properties under perennial grasses favors the desalinization of the soil profile due to the migration of salts into the groundwater via root paths. Lucerne (Medicago sp.) and sweet clover (Melilotus suaveolens) with deep, well developed root systems have the most pronounced effect on the soil desalinization. A somewhat slighter ameliorative effect is typical of Elymus junceus.