Abstract
ABSTRACT The accumulation of salts in the soil profile produces conditions that affect the growth of crops. The effects of these conditions on crops and the intensity of these effects depend on the quantity and type of salts that predominate and are also influenced by soil characteristics and climate, among other aspects. The salinization of agricultural soils is a serious problem facing agriculture today. The use of organic amendments has increased in recent years, acting on the texture of the soil, correcting compaction or granularity problems, and influencing chemical and/or biological reactions. The objectives of this work were to analyze the use of compost and vermicompost using different analysis techniques to determine the influence of conditions on the remediation of a saline soil. In saturation extracts of soil, compost, and vermicompost, a Zeta potential value 2.34-2.44 times more negative (more-stable colloids) than that in the soil colloids was observed in the amendments. The values of electrophoretic mobility were more negative in the organic amendments compared with the soil. This is the first time that these parameters have been reported for these purposes and for a saline soil. In this study, the soil has low organic matter content (1.65%), so these amendments are expected to improve soil quality and texture, achieving the recovery of saline soils.
Highlights
Soil is becoming increasingly degraded as the human population grows
When the characteristics of the saturation extract of the original sample soil were compared among the soil, compost, and vermicompost, more-stable colloids were observed in the compost and vermicompost, with more negative Zeta potential (ZP) values; this was true for EM, which showed more negative values than the original soil value and lower electrical conductivity (EC) values, as well as a decrease in the pH
By using compost and vermicompost as organic amendments, a greater stability is achieved of the colloidal suspensions than in the initial soils as reflected by the more negative values of the ZP
Summary
Soil is becoming increasingly degraded as the human population grows. Soil is an important natural resource that needs to be conserved, so that it maintains its ability to be productive, and for this purpose, sustainable practices must be proposed and applied to recover those lands degraded by poor human management, including land that has undergone soil salinization (Murli et al, 2016).The salinity of the soil, in several of its manifestations, has been the cause, to a greater or lesser degree, of the reduction in the productive capacity of soils in many regions of the world (Comesw; González; Conti, 2009; Vijayasatya et al, 2015). Soil is an important natural resource that needs to be conserved, so that it maintains its ability to be productive, and for this purpose, sustainable practices must be proposed and applied to recover those lands degraded by poor human management, including land that has undergone soil salinization (Murli et al, 2016). Salinity (occurring as primary salinization) is common in arid and semiarid regions where evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation; in these types of regions, irrigation (which leads to secondary salinization) is used to satisfy the water requirements of the crops (Ouni et al, 2013; Lin et al, 2016). The accumulation of salts in the soil profile produces conditions that affect the growth of most crops; the effects and the intensity of these conditions can be diverse depending on the amount and type of salts that dominate, with crops being influenced by soil characteristics and climate, among other things (Busoms et al, 2015).
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