Effect of Continuous use of Sodic Irrigation Water with and without Gypsum, Farmyard manure, Pressmud and Fertilizer on Soil Properties and Yields of Rice and Wheat in a Long term Experiment

Abstract

A long term field experiment was conducted for 8 years during 1994-2001 to evaluate the effect of N, P, K and Zn fertilizer use alone and in combination with gypsum, farmyard manure (FYM) and pressmud on changes in soil properties and yields of rice and wheat under continuous use of sodic irrigation water (residual sodium carbonate (RSC) 8.5 meq l À1 , and sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) 8.8 (m mol/l) 1/2 at Bhaini Majra experimental farm of Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal, India. Continuous use of fertilizer N alone (120 kg ha À1 ) or in combination with P and K significantly improved rice and wheat yields over control (no fertilizer). Phosphorus applied at the rate of 26 kg P ha À1 each to rice and wheat significantly improved the yields and led to a considerable build up in available soil P. When N alone was applied, available soil P and K declined from the initial level of 14.8 and 275 kg ha À1 to 8.5 and 250 kg ha À1 respectively. Potassium applied at a rate of 42 kg K ha À1 to both crops had no effect on yields. Response of rice to Zinc application occurred since 1997 when DTPA extractable Zn declined to 1.48 kg ha À1 from the initial level of 1.99 kg ha À1 . Farmyard manure 10 Mg ha À1 , gypsum 5 Mg ha À1 and pressmud 10 Mg ha À1 along with NPK fertilizer use significantly enhanced yields over NPK treatment alone. Continuous cropping with sodic water and inorganic fertilizer use for 8 years slightly decreased the soil pH e and SAR from the initial value of 8.6 and 29.0 to 8.50 and 18.7 respectively. However, treatments involving the use of gypsum, FYM and pressmud significantly decreased the soil pH and SAR over inorganic fertilizer treatments and control. Nitrogen, phosphorus and zinc uptake were far less than additions made by fertilizer. The actual soil N balance was much lower than the expected balance thereby indicating large losses of N from the soil. There was a negative potassium balance due to greater removal by the crops when compared to K additions. The results suggest that either gypsum or FYM/pressmud along with recommended dose of fertilizers must be used to sustain the productivity of rice -wheat system in areas having sodic ground water for irrigation.

Effect of saline irrigation water on the leachability of salts, growth and chemical composition of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in saline-sodic soil supplemented with phosphorus and potassium

“…To minimize adverse effects, Na and Cl could be leached down from the root zone through excessive irrigation (Qadir et al, 2006). Continuous cropping with sodic water and inorganic fertilizer use slightly decreased the soil pHe and SAR (Yaduvanshi and Swarup, 2007). These results supported the findings of the present study suggesting that K and P fertilizers must be used to sustain the productivity of wheat in salt affected areas having saline ground water for irrigation.…”

Reclamation of Saline Sodic Soils with the Use of Mixed Fly Ash and Sewage Sludge

“…Moreover, with the application of the maximum dose of amendment, the ESP of highly sodic soil III, declined from 86.2% to 15.86%. As a result of the application of organic materials, we saw a decrease in ESP of the soil as reported earlier (Qadir et al, 2003;Yaduvanshi and Swarup, 2005;Tejada et al, 2006;Jalali and Ranjbar, 2009). Also, the application of organic amendments on saline-sodic soil has been stated to increase Na þ leaching (Lax et al, 1994;Qadir et al, 2001).…”

Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Management Practices that Affect Emissions in US Rice Systems

“…If ammonium sulfate was used as the primary N source and was applied at rate equivalent to 168 kg N ha −1 , this would correspond to an S application rate of 192 kg S ha −1 and a 25% reduction in CH 4 emissions (i.e., a scaling factor of 0.75). In contrast, gypsum contains ∼19% S and is used as a soil amendment in sodic soils, where it is typically applied in much larger quantities (e.g., 5 Mg ha −1 ; Yaduvanshi and Swarup, 2005), which could have a much larger effect on CH 4 emissions.…”