Reclamation of physical and chemical properties of a salinized soil by organic amendment

Abstract

An experiment was conducted on a vertic Xerochrept, salinized by saline water irrigation, to investigate the effect of municipal solid waste (MSW) application and irrigation with normal (0.19 S m‐1) and saline (0.42 S m‐1) water, on the physical and chemical properties of the soil. The experiment was carried out during one tomato crop (6 months). Organic carbon, cation exchange capacity, exchangeable sodium, aggregate stability, infiltration rate, water holding capacity and plant growth were monitored. A high risk of secondary salinization was observed when the soil was irrigated with saline water. The physical properties of the soil, such as structural stability, infiltration rate and water holding capacity, were considerably improved by MSW application. This improvement could help in the reclamation of salinized soils due to the increased washing capacity.