Biomeliorant for the restoration of saline and degraded soils in the arid zone

Abstract

The methods of gypsum application in degraded soils to increase and restore saline and degraded soils, to grow vegetables and fruits in the arid zone are considered in the paper. The issues of soil alkalinity reduction to increase soil fertility with the use of a new biomeliorant at standard of ST RK 2208-2012 containing phosphogypsum, calcium, sulfur and cattle manure with the addition of crushed camel thorn were studied. According to calculations this meliorant application reduces the loss of nitrogen and organic matter by 40%,, which being a highly effective fertilizer that improves the physico-chemical and biological properties of the soil, which contributes to an increase in crop yields. Field studies have shown that the joint anaerobic fermentation of phosphogypsum and manure, camel thorn led to intensive aggregation and the creation of favorable conditions of the soil structure for the crops. The results showed that the biomeliorant application into the soil led to a noticeable improvement in its structure, increases alkalinity, soils become more fertile and crop yields increase.

Evaluating the Efficacy of Phosphogypsum as a Soil Amendment for Enhancing Fertility in Compacted Gray-Earth Soils of Kazakhstan During Comprehensive Land Reclamation

“…The proposed option is economically justified and water-saving and most effective ways developed in order to preserve the fertility of land and thereby prevent the negative consequences resulting from irrigation [15,16,19]. Based on the experimental results, the following conclusions can be drawn: to improve efficiency with various options for applying phosphogypsum (different doses), it provides the needs of cultivated crops for Ca and the required sulfur [6]. In the structure of phosphogypsum applied to the soil as a fertilizer, the ameliorant consists of the following constituent elements such as calcium and phosphorus, which make it possible to increase the yield of agricultural crops cultivated on irrigated lands.…”

“…A review of the scientific literature reveals that the application of phosphogypsum to irrigated lands results in improvements to the soil's water-physical properties, such as increased absorption capacity and porosity [6]. Additionally, changes in the degree of soil super dispersion are observed [7], the acidity of the lower soil layers is reduced, and the rate of water absorption accelerates by 30-35%, consequently creating favorable conditions for the water supply of cultivated crops [8].…”

“…The use of phosphogypsum as a fertilizer is reportedly 25 times more cost-effective than concentrated mineral fertilizers. This is attributed to the ability to achieve twice the effect from its usage and the opportunity to dispose of waste (up to 10 tons/ha) while employing it as fertilizer for degraded compacted gray-earth soils in the southern region of the Republic of Kazakhstan [4,[6][7][8][9][10].…”

“…In light of this, optimal methods for liberating lands from phosphorus-containing waste have been identified in the literature [6,9,12]. Under the prevailing circumstances, it is essential to reevaluate existing approaches, technical and design solutions, and plan for their future implementation.…”

The Effect of Phosphogypsum and Turkey Litter Application on the Properties of Eroded Agrochernozem in the South Ural Region (Russia)

“…In addition, it is advisable to use the PG for the reclamation of technologically salinized and solonized soils [23][24][25][26][27]. Besides, as PG is able to dissolve better in soil solution, it does not require reprocessing, thus, it is cheaper and more effective than gypsum.…”