Amelioration of Saline-sodic Soil using Gypsum and Low Quality Water in Following Sorghum-berseem Crop Rotation

A field study was conducted on a Lyallpur saline-sodic variant soil at Proka Farm II, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and economic viability of using low quality water with or without gypsum for reclamation of sandy clay loam saline-sodic soil (pH(s) = 8.35-8.53, ECe = 6.23-6.79 dS m(-1), SAR = 47.67-51.24, CEC = 3.61-5.15 cmol(c) kg(-1), organic matter = 0.23-0.28% and lime = 6.25-6.87%). Tube well (EC = 3.94 dS m(-1), SAR = 19.73, RSC = Nil) and canal (EC = 2.86 dS m(-1), SAR = 11.81, RSC = Nil) waters were used for irrigation as per treatment plan. The treatments were: Tube well water (TW) alone, TW-Canal water (CW) alone, TW-CW + Gypsum @ 50% soil gypsum requirement (SGR) and TW-CW + Gypsum @ 100% SGR. Treatments were replicated thrice. After harvesting sorghum and berseem crops, significantly the greatest decrease in pH(s), ECe and SAR occurred with TW-CW + G(100). The highest net benefit (Rs.) from sorghum and berseem in rotation for two years was obtained with TW-CW + G(100) (268293), while lowest with TW (82452) during 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. The results obtained from the two year study show that TW-CW + G(100) could be used to reclaim saline-sodic soils by following sorghum-berseem rotation. (C) 2013 Friends Science Publishers