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Sodic Calcareous Soil Reclamation as Affected by Water Chemical Composition and Flow Rate
Author(s) -
Nadler A.,
Levy G. J.,
Keren R.,
Eisenberg H.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
soil science society of america journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1435-0661
pISSN - 0361-5995
DOI - 10.2136/sssaj1996.03615995006000010038x
Subject(s) - calcareous , land reclamation , sodic soil , soil water , leaching (pedology) , dissolution , chemistry , loess , leaching model , distilled water , environmental chemistry , soil science , water flow , environmental science , geology , soil salinity , history , paleontology , archaeology , chromatography , geomorphology
Sodic soils exhibit poor physical conditions that adversely influence water and air movement, soil erodibility, and plant growth. This study investigated the efficiency of naturally occurring CaCO 3 in reclaiming a sodic loess soil (Calcic Haploxeralf) with an exchangeable sodium percentage of 16. Soil columns (50 or 100 mm high) were leached with distilled water (DW), 1 dS m ‐1 tap water (TW), or CO 2 ‐enriched TW at a flow rate of either 11.5 or 50 mm h ‐1 . The effluent from the columns was collected continuously, and its chemical composition was analyzed. When DW was used, CaCO 3 dissolution was the main source (85%) for replacing exchangeable Na. When TW was used, 80% of the (Ca 2+ + Mg 2+ ) for reclaiming the sodic soil came from the leaching solution. The slow water flow rate (11.5 mm h ‐1 ) improved reclamation by ∼30%, probably due to the higher concentration of (Ca 2+ + Mg 2+ ) from CaCO 3 and the longer time available for Ca 2+ diffusion into soil aggregates. The CO 2 ‐enriched TW was the most favorable treatment for CaCO 3 dissolution and thus the most efficient for soil reclamation. Our results suggest that reclamation of sodic soils can be accomplished by means of the naturally occurring CaCO 3 in the soil, providing management conducive for CaCO 3 dissolution is used.