Salt-tolerant forage cultivation on a saline-sodic field for biomass production and soil reclamation

摘要: Chemical reclamation of sodic and saline-sodic soils has become cost-intensive. Cultivation plants tolerant salinity sodicity may mobilize the CaCO3 present in instead using a chemical approach. Four forage plant species, sesbania (Sesbania aculeata), kallar grass (Leptochloa fusca), millet rice (Echinochloa colona) finger (Eleusine coracana), were planted calcareous field (ECe = 9·6–11·0 dS m−1, SAR 59·4–72·4). Other treatments included gypsum (equivalent to 100 per cent requirement 15 cm soil layer) control (no or crop). The crops grown for 5 months. performance terms amelioration was order: Sesbania aculeata ≅ > Leptochloa fusca Echinochloa colona Elusine coracana control. Biomass production by species found be directly proportional their efficiency. produced 32·3 Mg ha−1, followed (24·6 ha−1), (22·6 ha−1) Eleusine (5·4 ha−1). emerged as most suitable biotic material cultivation on salt-affected produce good-quality forage, reduce salination sodication processes.