Displacement of Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, Magnesium and Improvements in a Saline Soil Treated with Organic and Chemical Amendments

Abstract

The accumulation of salts in the soil produces conditions that affect the growth of most crops. Currently, soil amendments have been used to improve the texture and chemical & biological reactions of the soil. The objective of this work was to simulate the transport of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium in columns of saline soil through the use of organic and chemical amendments. Saline soil samples of the municipality of Tlahuelilpan, Hidalgo state, Mexico were studied. Compost, vermicompost, phosphogypsum and malting barley husk were used as amendments. The results showed that the highest metal element removal was obtained with the combined treatment of vermicompost at 4 % and phosphogypsum at 2 % (V4FY2) (59 %). Improvements in soil physico-chemical properties were also observed. These findings indicated that the combination of organic and chemical amendments promotes the leaching of metals, (mainly sodium). Therefore, the amendments evaluated in this study can be a good alternative for the remediation and improvement of saline soils.