Land is the basic and most important resource to the mankind. All agricultural, animal and forestry production depend on the productivity of land. The land resource is limited as the total geographical area is fixed. Under these conditions, every part of the land is important for us and for the nation. Out of the several problems that limit the economic utilization of land resources in India, the problem of usar lands (saline and sodic soils) the so called self-affected soils is of great concern. In India alone, about 7 million ha of the cultivated land are affected by salinity and sodicity.
In Haryana it is about 0.50 million ha i.e. 7.1 per cent of the total salt affected soils of India. The intensive irrigation and the excessive use of water have created the problems of water logging, soil salinity and soil sodicity. Usar land is defined as that land where the vaste patches of white efflorescence salt called ‘Reh’. Such type of lands need special attention because they are quite different in nature from other type of lands. The main purpose of the research work was to identify the nature of usar land of study area. In Haryana all districts are affected with salt concentration. In Rohtak district the area under usar lands is 1358, 513, 523, 455 and 390 ha in Rohtak, Sampla, Kalanaur, Lakhan Majra and Meham blocks, respectively. The present study was conducted in five villages namely Rithal Narwal (Rohtak Block), Ismaila (Sampla Block), Lahli (Kalanaur Block), Kharak Jattan (Lakhan Majra Block), and Madina Korsan (Meham Block), which were affected by usar lands (salt-affected soils) above 10 per cent to the cultivable area of the village. Lahli village (Kalanaur Block) covered the highest usar lands area (248 ha) in Rohtak district. It is about 22.75 per cent of the cultivable area. Kharak Jattan (Lakhan Majra Block) covered the lowest usar lands area (50 ha). It is about 10.86 per cent of the cultivable area.
To know the nature of usar land (saline and sodic soils), the 25 samples of soil i.e. 5 samples of soil from each village have been collected. After testing of all soil samples, both types of usar lands (saline and sodic soils), were found present in the study area.
Usar Lands, Saline Soils, Sodic Soils, Reh
