Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal, Haryana
In a field study, the effect of alkali soil reclamation on soil properties and crop growth were evaluated after four years of soil reclamation and compared with the original alkali soil. The soil pH, electrical conductivity, calcium carbonate, exchangeable sodium, carbonates, chlorides and dispersion ratio decreased considerably, whereas exchangeable calcium plus magnesium, hydraulic conductivity, water infiltration and redistribution increased. From the detailed examination of the soil properties, it is evident that due to the application of gypsum and growing of crops, alkali soil properties improved considerably only up to the depth of 45 cm. The grain yield of rice and wheat varied from 4.0 to 4.8 and 1.7 to 2.0 t/ha, respectively, during four years of reclamation.
Alkali soil, reclamation, gypsum, infiltration
