Remediation of Abandoned Saline Soils Using Glycyrrhiza glabra: A Study from the Hungry Steppes of Central Asia (original) (raw)
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Water conservation in the reclamation of saline irrigated lands of Uzbekistan
E3S web of conferences, 2023
On the territory of Uzbekistan, almost half of the area of irrigated land is subject to salinization, for this reason up to 30 % or more of the crop yield is lost. With a shortage of water resources, which will deepen due to climate change, water-saving technologies must be used not only for irrigation but also for the reclamation of saline soils. The authors have developed a new approach to the regulation of the salt regime and soil reclamation. The conducted experiments have established that the use of the Biosolvent preparation almost doubles the efficiency of washing saline lands, due to the increased leaching of salts. To reduce salinity by 0.1% of the total amount of salts, the water-saving unit costs are 610 m3/ha. Calculation on the basis of field experimental data from 2016 (of established indicators of salt removal when using Biosolvent), shows a reduction of soil washing norm by 3000 m3/ha or by 38 %, at the transition of soils from "strong" degree of salinization to "non-saline". The study 2020 proved that the application of Biosolvent preparation for the melioration of highly saline gypsum soils, combined with their preliminary deep loosening, allows reducing soil salinity by 5 dS/m, due only to atmospheric precipitation.
E3S Web of Conferences
This article discusses the impact of the development of water-saving salinity leaching technology on the conditions of meadow-alluvial, moderately saline and medium sandy soils of Bukhara oasis according to its mechanical composition using Biosolvent compounds and the impact of the scientifically based irrigation regime on the reclamation regime of irrigated lands. In a saline-washed field with a Biosolvent combination, the Bukhara-102 variety of Gossypium received irrigation soil moisture at the beginning of vegetation when watered at 70-80-65 percent compared to LFMC, the amount of chlorine in the active (0-100 cm) layer of soil is 0,008%, the amount of sulfate is 0,036% and the amount of dry residue is 0,204% by the end of the growing season, these values are 0.020; 0.047 and 0.350%, with a seasonal salt accumulation coefficient of 2.37; 1.3; 1.72 respectively and compared to the control variant, it decreases by 0,50; 0,20; 0,13 and its yield is 40.5 cwt·ha-1, with an additional ...
Role Of Soil Amendments In Saline Agriculture
Tasks for vegetation science, 2002
To assess the degree of soil amelioration and improvement in crop yield, studies were conducted in farmer's fields using gypsum and CaClz as soil amendments. The treatments were applied in the year 1996-97 and wheat crop was sown. Two crops each of rice and wheat were sown after wheat 1996-97 to study the residual effect of both the chemicals. There was a significant yield increase by gypsum and CaClz in both wheat and rice as compared to control. Equivalent amounts of CaClz and gypsum gave almost similar grain yield in wheat. Grain yield was significantly higher in gypsum treated plots than the respective CaCh treated plots in rice, while there was no difference in wheat. SAR, ECe and pH of the soil decreased by both the chemicals but CaClz proved less effective as compared to gypsum in lowering the SAR and ECe. Significant reduction in SAR of the soil was noted by all tested doses of gypsum as well as CaClz in the year 1996-97. Long-term reclamation effect was visible even up to 5th crop after reclamation in case of both the reclaments and crops.
Saline Agriculture: Promises and Prospects for Future Agriculture in Degraded Saline Lands
One third of the world's 2.3x10 8 hectares of irrigated land is salt-affected and, with the general demand for freshwater increasing, maintaining the supply for agriculture becomes more difficult. The utilisation of halophytic plants (crops adapted to saline conditions) for producing food, forage, fibre, and edible oil is one possibility. There are around 2200 known species of halophytes, 350-400 in Pakistan. They range from grasses and shrubs to trees and inhabit west seacoast marshes and dry inland saline deserts. Two-thirds of the country receives under 350mm of annual rainfall, while the barren Balochistan coastline is virtually dry, rendering conventional agriculture impossible. Seawater irrigation using local halophytes has the potential to create a profitable oilseed industry here. The twin menace of waterlogging and salinity has been combated for decades in Pakistan by expensive engineering methods using drainage systems to lower water tables, reclamation approaches such as salt leaching and adding chemicals to improve soil conditions, saline agriculture in situ for useful biomass productivity and genetic techniques to confer salt tolerance. Saline water, finally, can be transported to the deserts. Following rainfall, grasses are produced with numerous tillers, allowing many cattle to be sustained throughout the year. Thus even the deserts can function as a productive ecosystem.
International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, 2020
The effect of deep loosening in the early spring and soil treatment with Biosolvent was studied in this research paper. During irrigation, on the physical properties of gypsum soils and the desalination processes in them. The studies were carried out in the Syrdarya region of Uzbekistan in 3 experimental plots under cotton. Objects of research-saline, compacted, gypsum-bearing soils. Field and phenological observations, soil analyzes were carried out according to generally accepted methods. It was revealed that loosening the soil to a depth of 70 cm contributes to: a decrease in bulk density by 4-9%, respectively, porosity, and also to an increase in water permeability by 3-14 times. This led to an increase in irrigation rates by 350 m 3 / ha, with a washing fraction of 9%. Along with a decrease in soil density, this contributed to an increase in cotton yield-4.6 c/ha. Due to the rupture of capillaries in the soil when loosening, the accumulation of chlorine salts from spring to autumn, in a soil layer of 0-60 cm, decreased by 1.8 times, and with conventional plowing of the soil-increased by 2.4 times. When loosening gypsum soils to a depth of 70 cm, the bulk soil mass decreased from 1.60 g/cm 3 to 1.20-1.36 g/cm 3. When spraying heavily salted loose soil with Biosolvent before watering the cotton, the leaching of the toxic chlorine ion by irrigation reached 90%. The combination of deep loosening of the soil with the Biosolvent preparation is recommended for land reclamation of the Hungry Steppe lands.
2017
Soil salinity is a major threat to the sustainability of agricultural production and rural livelihoods in the Mirzachul area in Uzbekistan. Leaching, a traditional practice to cope with salinity through flushing of soils with fresh water in order to remove excess salts from the topsoil, is no longer feasible due to disrepair and inefficient operation of the drainage networks. As a result, salinized lands either remain highly unproductive or become completely abandoned; with both options negatively affecting rural livelihoods. As an intermediate solution, the cultivation of licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) is proposed as a viable alternative, as it rehabilitates salinized soils and improves their fertility - so that major crops can be again grown profitably in these abandoned or highly saline lands. In addition to its positive impact on the sustainability of agricultural production in irrigated areas, licorice cultivation can also increase farm income, due to the high economic value and marketability of its roots and the value of its biomass as a livestock feed.
Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 2019
Irrigation with treated waste water (TWW) in combination with plantation of agroforest species was tested in the Kalaât Landelous region for the reclamation of salt affected soils. Five species (Atriplex nummularia, Eucalyptus gomphocephala, Acacia cyanophylla, Casuarina glauca, Pinus halepensis) were cultivated in saline soils that are affected by shallow, saline groundwater and were irrigated with TWW during the summer season. The results after 4 years of experimentation show a distinct decrease in soil pH and salinity accompanied by a decrease in Cl and Na concentrations. Irrigation decreased the heavy metal concentrations in the topsoil but an increase in deeper layers indicate to leaching due to TWW irrigation. The investigated plant species were differently affected in growth performance by salinity and TWW irrigation. Atriplex nummularia appeared to be the most resistant species and Pinus halepensis the most sensitive one to hydro-pedological conditions of the Kalaât Landelous plot. In conclusion, salt-tolerant plant species seem to be good candidates for the reclamation of salt-affected, waterlogged sites in combination with TWW irrigation, as the adaptations of such species seem to operate under different abiotic stress conditions.
Plant, Soil and Environment
The decline of soil organic carbon (SOC) has aggravated salinity-related problems in semi-arid irrigation areas of the Awash river basin, Ethiopia. This study aimed at evaluating the performance of potential remediation crops on saline soil and their effectiveness for remediating soil salinity and improving pH, SOC, bulk density (BD) and hydraulic conductivity (HyCo). Rhodes grass (RHG), alfalfa (ALF), sudangrass (SUG) and blue panicgrass (Retz) (BPG) were grown in saline (3–13.9 dS/m) field plots. The crop biomass was incorporated into the soil immediately before flowering. The results show that at high soil salinity levels, BPG and SUG grew well, with the harvesting frequency of BPG being much higher than for SUG. Conversely, the growth of ALF and RHG was strongly inhibited by high soil salinity. Significant (P < 0.05) reduction of soil salinity levels (–3.2 dS/m) and related ionic concentrations, an increase of SOC (0.8% to 1.6%) and improvement of BD and HyCo were observed in...
Natural Resources Forum, 2009
Expansion of irrigated agriculture in the Aral Sea Basin in the second half of the twentieth century led to the conversion of vast tracks of virgin land into productive agricultural systems resulting in significant increases in employment opportunities and income generation. The positive effects of the development of irrigated agriculture were replete with serious environmental implications. Excessive use of irrigation water coupled with inadequate drainage systems has caused largescale land degradation and water quality deterioration in downstream parts of the basin, which is fed by two main rivers, the Amu-Darya and Syr-Darya. Recent estimates suggest that more than 50% of irrigated soils are salt-affected and/or waterlogged in Central Asia. Considering the availability of natural and human resources in the Aral Sea Basin as well as the recent research addressing soil and water management, there is cause for cautious optimism. Research-based interventions that have shown significant promise in addressing this impasse include: (1) rehabilitation of abandoned salt-affected lands through halophytic plant species; (2) introduction of 35-day-old early maturing rice varieties to withstand ambient soil and irrigation water salinity; (3) productivity enhancement of high-magnesium soils and water resources through calcium-based soil amendments; (4) use of certain tree species as biological pumps to lower elevated groundwater levels in waterlogged areas; (5) optimal use of fertilizers, particularly those supplying nitrogen, to mitigate the adverse effects of soil and irrigation water salinity; (6) mulching of furrows under saline conditions to reduce evaporation and salinity buildup in the root zone; and (7) establishment of multipurpose tree and shrub species for biomass and renewable energy production. Because of water withdrawals for agriculture from two main transboundary rivers in the Aral Sea Basin, there would be a need for policy level interventions conducive for enhancing interstate cooperation to transform salt-affected soil and saline water resources from an environmental and productivity constraint into an economic asset.n arf_1217 134..149