Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T05:22:33.422Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Forage Yield of Sorghum and Winter Clovers as Affected by Biological and Chemical Reclamation of a Highly Alkaline Soil

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 October 2008

Ashok Kumar ,
Lalita Batra  and
R. Chhabra
Ashok Kumar
Affiliation:
Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal-132001, India
Lalita Batra
Affiliation:
Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal-132001, India
R. Chhabra
Affiliation:
Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal-132001, India
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

A field experiment was conducted on a highly alkaline soil (pH 10.6, exchangeable sodium 95%) to compare biological reclamation using Leptochloa fusca with chemical reclamation using gypsum. Rice gave satisfactory yields in the first year of gypsum application but sorghum and Sesbania gave extremely poor yields. The yield of Leptochloa was not affected by gypsum application. Trifolium resupinatum yielded more than T. alexandrinum when sown in the winter season. The green forage yield of sorghum was greatest when the sorghum followed Leptochloa grown for two years, with the harvested grass allowed to decompose on the site. The results show that biological reclamation with Leptochloa is a good substitute for chemical reclamation with gypsum.

Type
Research Article
Information
Experimental Agriculture , Volume 30 , Issue 3 , July 1994 , pp. 343 - 348
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1994

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Abrol, I. P. & Bhumbla, D. R. (1979). Crop responses to differential gypsum application in a highly sodic soil and the tolerance of several crops to exchangeable sodium under field conditions. Crop Science 127:79–85.Google Scholar
Ashok, Kumar (1987). Relative performance of Egyptian and Persian clovers at different levels of gypsum application in a barren alkali soil. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 57:157–162.Google Scholar
Ashok, Kumar (1988). Long term forage yields of five tropical grasses on an extremely sodic soil and the resultant soil amelioration. Experimental Agriculture 24:89–96.Google Scholar
Ashok, Kumar & Abrol, I. P. (1979). Performance of five perennial forage grasses as influenced by gypsum levels in a highly sodic soil. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 49:473–477.Google Scholar
Ashok, Kumar & Abrol, I. P. (1983). Effect of gypsum on five tropical grasses grown in normal and extremely sodic soil. Experimental Agriculture 19:169–177.Google Scholar
Ashok, Kumar & Abrol, I. P. (1984). Studies on reclaiming effect of Karnal grass and Para grass grown in a highly sodic soil. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 54:189–193.Google Scholar
Ashok, Kumar & Abrol, I. P. (1986). Grasses in Alkali Soils. Bulletin 11, 95. Karnal: Central Soil Salinity Research Institute.Google Scholar
Cheng, K. L. & Bray, R. H. (1951). Determination of calcium and magnesium in soil and plant material. Soil Science 72:449–458.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chillar, R. K. & Bhumbla, D. R. (1970). Gypsum requirement of several fodder species grown on saline sodic soil. In Annual Report, 35–36. Karnal: Central Soil Salinity Research Institute.Google Scholar
Singh, K. N., Anand, Swarup & Sharma, D. P. (1990–1991). Studies on cropping sequences for sodic soils under resource constraints. In Annual Report, 42–43. Karnal: CSSRI.Google Scholar
Qureshi, R. H., Salim, M., Abdullah, M. & Pitman, M. G. (1982). Diplachne fosca: An Australian salt tolerant grass used in Pakistani agriculture. The Journal of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science 48:195–199.Google Scholar