STUDIES ON PHYSICAL - AMELIORATION OF SALT - AFFECTED SOILS BY TREES AND GRASS COVER

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Date
1998-08-19
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UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES GKVK BANGALORE
Abstract
A field trail was conducted to highlight the role of trees and grass species on physicai-amelioration of salt-affected soils during 1995 at Agricultural Research Station, Gangavati, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, Karnataka State. The experiment was laid out in RBD with three replications. Under various vegetative covers, soil BD decreased while, pore space and volume of expansion increased marginally. Among the silvi-cuiturai systems casuarina equisetifolia. Acacia nilotica and Dalbergia sissoo were found effective in improving these parameters. While, Azardirachta indica. Sesbania grandiflora and Hardwickia binnata remained poor in bringing about changes and remained comparable with control. These promising species also showed a marginal improvement in moisture retention at different suction gradients compared to less promising ones. These different vegetative covers also had influence on soil infiitrabiiity and hydraulic conductivity. The above promising silvi and siivi-pastoral systems were the most effective as compared to Hardwickia binnata, Sesbania grandifiora and Azardirachta indica with and without napier grass. Soil dispersion decreased significantly and so also erodibiiity under various vegetative covers. The species such as Casuarina equisetifolia. Acacia nilotica and Daibargia sissoo with and without napier were effective in reducing these parameters. Similarly, the latter species were superior in improving aggregate stability, mean weight diameter and proportion of macro-to-micro aggregates than other companion species. In general, effect of both siivi-and siivi-pastoral systems was confined more to surface (0-7.5 & 7.5-15cm) than lower depths.
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