Effect of Incubation Times, Gypsum, Organic Carbon, and Leaching on Some Properties of a Sodic Soil

Sodic soils are widely spread in arid and semiarid regions. To use sodic soils for crop production, reclamation of physico-chemical properties of these soils is necessary. To study the effects of different levels of gypsum (0, 50 and 100% of gypsum requirement) alone and with three levels of organic carbon (0, 1.5 and 3% w/w) from different sources (alfalfa and corn residue, saw dust and date fruit waste) on some properties of a sodic soil, a factorial experiment was conducted with 27 treatments and three replications using a completely randomized design. After application of gypsum or gypsum+ organic matter to the sodic soil, the physic-chemical properties of it were measured every 15 days. The studied soil was leached at the end of the incubation time. The results showed that the physicochemical characteristics of the sodic soil improved with the increase in incubation time. Before performing leaching treatment, the application of gypsum equal to gypsum requirement had the greatest impact on decreasing SAR, ESP, and dispersible clay (DC). Maximum microbial respiration rate was obtained from the application of 3% organic carbon from date fruit waste. The application of organic materials + gypsum had the greatest impact on improvement of sodic soil behaviors after leaching. The addition of organic matter caused some characteristics of sodic soil to become undesirable before leaching. After leaching, pH, SAR, ESP, DC and hydraulic conductivity (HC) decreased in all treatments. The treatment of gypsum at the rate of 100% gypsum requirement + 3% organic carbon from date fruit waste was the most effective reclamation treatment for the sodic soil. The organic materials + gypsum had the maximum reclamation effect on sodic soils, when the soils had been leached two months after incubation.