Gypsum and Farm Manure Application with Chiseling Improve Soil Properties and Performance of Fodder Beet under Saline-sodic Conditions

Soil and water salinity and sodicity is among the salient environmental stresses which impair productivity of all the arable crops. Damages induced by such stresses could be decreased by the application of certain soil amendments. Hence, a three-year field study was conducted to evaluate the effects of several amendments to improve growth of fodder beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris cv. Kawai terma) grown in a saline-sodic field (ECe = 5.05 dS m(-1), pH(s) = 9.04 and SAR = 46.20 (mmol L-1)(1/2) and soil gypsum requirement (SGR) of 10.52 t ha(-1) for 0-15 cm soil depth. The amendments included gypsum application at 100 and 50% of SGR, gypsum application at 25% of SGR + 10 t ha(-1) farm manure (FM), chiseling + gypsum application at 25% of SGR, chiseling + gypsum at 25% of SGR + 10 t ha(-1) FM and sulfur application equivalent to 50% of SGR. In control plot fodder beet was grown without any amendment. Analysis of three-year pooled data indicated that all the amendments significantly improved soil physical-chemical properties and fodder beet yield. However, data proved the supremacy of gypsum application at 100% of soil GR, and chiseling + gypsum at 25% of SGR + FM at 10 t ha(-1) in improving soil properties like bulk density, organic matter, hydraulic conductivity, pH ECe, SAR and fodder beet root and shoot biomass than all the other amendments and the control. The effectiveness of amendments remained in the order: chiseling + gypsum at 25% SGR + FM at 10 t ha(-1) = gypsum at 100% of SGR > gypsum at 25% of SGR + FM at 10 t ha(-1) > gypsum at 50% SGR > sulfur = gypsum at 50% of SGR > chiseling + gypsum at 25% of SGR > control. A considerable improvement in soil properties by growing fodder beet without any amendment indicated its potential to be used as an agent of biological reclamation of salt-affected soils. It is concluded that combined application of gypsum at 25% of SGR plus FM @ 10 t ha(-1) with chiseling in salt-affected field effectively improved growth of fodder beet and reclaimed saline-sodic soil and have future prospects. (C) 2015 Friends Science Publishers