Interaction of Various Soil Amendments on Salinity Levels
摘要
Soil salinity has been emerging as a problematic factor in agricultural productivity, as well as in soil natural processes, especially in the areas where arid, semi-arid, and irrigated conditions are prevalent. Due to intricate interactions of chemical, physical, and biological processes involved in both salt accumulation and soil degradation, there has been limited success using a particular type of soil amendment. This chapter aims to compile existing information on interaction effects of inorganic, biological, and nano-based soil amendments in counteracting soil salinities. Inorganic amendments like gypsum (CaSO₄·2H₂O) and sulphur-based compounds have a major role to play in sodicity amendment, as they help to provide divalent cations, which help to remove excess sodium (Na+), balance electrolytes, and facilitate clay flocculation. Biological and bio-organic amendments like compost, biochar, vermicompost, and microbial inoculate in complementing these processes by facilitating increased aggregation, organic carbon (OC), microbial counts, and hydraulic conductivity, thus aiding in salt leachage and plant nutrients availability. Advances in nanotechnology also offer new functional routes with nano-modified amendments controlling ion exchange processes and plant and soil reactions with low amounts of application due to high surface activity. The evidence has been growing and pointing towards and confirming combined approaches of amendments to be superior to single source amendments with overall increase in structure and microbial activity of soils to enhance chemical and nano mediated processes. However, these interactions involving amendment application have been largely context dependent and affected by soil types, amendment constituents, application intensity, intensity of salinity stress, and post-application periods. In certain situations, it has been found that inhibitory interactions, for example, salt addition by organic amendments and decreased availability of calcium by chemical fixation, could potentially hinder remedial measures. The current chapter emphasizes not only interactions but also site-specific and long-term practices for salt-affected soil management and develops an outline for an integrated approach of amendment interventions involving traditional physicochemical remedy measures and innovative nanotechnologies for salt-affected soils.