Saturday, 15 July 2006
166-16

Management of Coastal Salt Affected Soils of India Using Bio-Resource Technology.

Ramaiyan Singaravel, Annamalai Univ, Dept of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, Tamil Nadu, 608 002, India

Coastal salt affected soils of India extending about 3.1 m ha constitutes about 30 per cent of the total salt affected soils of the country. These soils were charecterised by stresses due to poor physico-chemical, nutrient availability and biological properties due high pH and salinity. These stresses restrict the productivity of crops. Sustainable crop production in these soils requires quality improvement in terms of soil physical, chemical and biological environment. Hence, an attempt has been made in the present investigation to manage these salt affected soils with the use of bio-resource technology which can solve many constraints of these soils. Field experiments were carried out in farmer's field in two different soils of the coastal areas one representing saline soils having pH 8.94, and EC 4.86 dS m-1 (classified as Typic ustifluent) and another in sandy soil having pH 8.38 and EC 1.14 dS m-1 (classified as Typic udipsaments). In coastal saline soils where rice being the dominant crop cultivated, treatments involving 100 % NPK, 75 % NP with substitution of 25 % N with Green manure (Sesbania rostrata) and Azospirillum and 25 % P with substitution of enriched farmyard manure and their combinations were studied. In coastal sandy soils for groundnut production, treatments involving 100 % NPK with Zn and B along with composted coirpith and humic acids were evaluated. The results of the experiments clearly indicated the role of bio-resources in improving the quality of soil by way of physical property, nutrient availability, microbial and enzymic activity with substantial increase in yield of rice and groundnut.


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