All India Coordinated Research Project on Management of Salt-affected Soils and Use of Saline Water in Agriculture, Agricultural Research Station, Gangavati, Karnataka, 583227.
Present addresses: 1Dept. of Environmental Sciences, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, Karnataka.
A field experiment was conducted at Agricultural Research Station, Gangavati, Karnataka, to evaluate the performance of 23 multi-purpose tree species on saline water-logged soils of Tungabhadra command during 1989–2000. Tree performance was evaluated in terms of survival per cent, height and collar diameter. Changes in soil nutrient status due to tree plantation were also studied. Based on 11 years study, tree species such as Acacia ferugenia, Albizzia lebbeck, Glyricidia maculata and Casuarina equisetifolia performed better under saline (10–12 dS m−1) and high water table conditions (0.75 to 1.0 m). Moderately tolerant species identified were Dalbergia sissoo, Inga dulse, Eucalyptus hybrid and Pongamea pinnata. All the tree species enriched the soil nutrient pool (NPK) and organic carbon.
Saline-waterlogged soils, multi-purpose tree species, survival, growth parameters, bio-amelioration
