Salt-Affected Soils and Management in Thailand
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Bull. Soc. Sea Water Sci., Jpn., 69, 319 - 325(2015) Bulletin of the Society of Sea Water Science, Japan Special Issue: Salt Damage and Food Production of the World (Review) Salt-affected Soils and Management in Thailand * * Somsri ARUNIN and Pirach PONGWICHIAN The total area of salt-affected soils in Thailand are 2.302 million hectares, of which the inland saline soils are 1.904 million hectares and the rest are in the coastal areas. Slightly to moderately salt-affected inlands are generally used for rice cultivation or other cash crops. Appropriate agronomic practices include selection of salt tolerant species, use of organic amendments and green manure. Management of severely salt-affected soils requires rehabilitation, leaching and drainage, mulching and change in cropping pattern. Halophytes have a role in revegetation and contribute to environmental remediation. In addition, reforestation on the recharge uplands has been recommended to lower groundwater hence, control salination in the discharge zone. Engineering and agronomic on-farm management practices for coastal salt-affected soils must be tailored to cope with the specific agro-ecosystem. More integrated research of various fields are needed. Key Words : Salinity, Remediation, Reforestation, Halophytes, Polder 1.Introduction 2.Inland salt-affected soil and management Salt-affected soils can be saline or sodic soils, saline soils 2.1 Source and distribution of inland salt-affected are soils that contain soluble salts expressed as electrical soil conductivity( ECe) of the saturation soil extract, higher than The wide spread inland salt-affected soils caused by both 2 dS/m at 25 ℃ and sodic soils with SAR( Sodium natural and anthropogenic salination processes. The saline Adsorption Ratio) higher than 13 1). Salinity causes major soils of the northeast are scattered in the Sakon Nakhon and problems on soil and crop to farmers in remediation and Korat basins. The source of salt in this area is halite in the management practices. The inland salt-affected soils in Mahasarakham Formation, generally occurs at depths of Thailand are formed through geochemical process and about 200 m exposed at or near the surface due to the angle distributed in the northeastern part of about 1.841 million of dip of the strata or by development of salt domes 3, 4). ha while coastal salt-affected soils originated from seawater Besides the inherent salt-bearing nature of the parent scattered along the coast of 0.425 million ha where as 0.063 materials, human interventions such as deforestation million ha are found in other region 2). The salt-affected soils associated with agricultural development, namely reservoir are classified as slightly, moderately, severely salt-affected construction, inappropriate irrigation practices and salt- soils and potential salt source area and the management making also contribute to anthropogenic salination practices are in line with this classification. processes. Remediation of salt-affected soils depends upon the 2.2 Management of inland salt-affected soil degree of salinity and specific salination processes through Management of inland salt-affected soil depends upon the engineering and agronomic management approach which degree of salinity and the prevalent local salination includes leaching and drainage, land leveling, deep plowing, processes. In general, salt-affected soils in the northeast are surface mulching, use of organic amendments, selection of high in sodium and chloride content, sandy and low in salt tolerant species or varieties and integrated management fertility, with approximately 75 % under rainfed lowland rice practices. Furthermore, community participatory network is cultivation 5). required for sustainable land management. The objectives of 2.2.1 Management of slightly and moderately this paper are to clarify the actual situation of salt-affected salt-affected soils soils, review the status of management practices and analyze Slightly to moderately salt-affected soils are typically used the future research needs for remediation in Thailand. for rice cultivation. Appropriate agronomic on-farm management was found to increase rice yield which include selected salt tolerant of rice cultivar of KDML 105, * Land Development Department, Pahonyothin road, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand 319 320 日本海水学会誌 第 69 巻 第 5 号(2015) transplanting of older seedlings of thirty to thirty-five days, Table 1 shows a guide-line to relative salt tolerances of closer spacing of 15×20 cm, with an increased number of vegetables, flowers, field crops and trees at different salinity seedlings( 6-8 seedlings/hill) and application of organic levels. Salinity adversely influences plant growth, leading to amendments such as green manure, farmyard manure or significant reductions in yields due to impeded water uptake, compost to increase soil fertility and improve soil physical imbalance of plant nutrients and accumulation of toxic properties 6). Numerous studies showed high potential of ions 16-18). The degree of damage shown as leaf burn, growth Sesbania as green manure for salt-affected soils in rainfed reduction, yield loss and low survival percentage depends lowland rice cropping systems. Sesbania rostrata L., a stem- not only on salinity and species or variety but also on growth nodulating legume, is recommended due to its salt tolerance stage, soil conditions, cultural practices and other in the range of 4-12 dS/m, flooding tolerance and high environmental factors. nitrogen fixation 7, 8). Rice yields responded to S. rostrata in 2.2.2 Management of severely salt-affected soils saline soils in the northeast. Besides, S. rostrata inoculated Severely salt-affected soils though typically considered as with rhizobium ORS571 gave higher biomass and nitrogen waste land, can be rehabilitated, although this requires high accumulation compared to other Sesbania spp.( Fig. 1). All investment and changes in cropping patterns. Revegetation Sesbania spp. Can be used as green manure for both by planting halophytes is an effective strategy for soil transplanted and direct seeded rice systems in moderate remediation, ecological and environmental improvement; saline soil 9-15). some halophytes can also be used as forage crops. Use of organic amendments in combination with Sporobolus virginicus( both coarse and smooth type), reshaping the paddy field was another effective method to Spartina patens and Distichlis spicata could survive in increase rice yield in salt affected land. Furthermore, land severely salt-affected soils of 42 dS/m 20). The main leveling with planting salt tolerant trees e.g. Acacia mechanism of their tolerant ability are osmotic adjustment ampliceps on the ridge was successfully remediated the in plant, elucidation of salt by root, water storage in tissues, moderately salt affected soils. salt avoidance, ion accumulation and sequestration or Other salt tolerant crops such as asparagus, tomato, excretion of salt via glands in plant leaves or stem 21-23). garlic, chive, cantaloupe, broccoli, Chinese kale( Table 1) For salt-tolerant trees, Acacia ampliceps, Casuarina glauca can be grown combined with on-farm management practices and Melaleuca acaciodes grew successfully well in the which are the application of organic matter such as manure, severely salt-affected soils. While some native species compost, green manure, rice husk, mulching to retain soil namely Azadirachta indica, Cassia siamea, Tamarindus moisture and prevent the accumulation of salt on the surface indica and Pithecellobium dulce could also tolerate at high with drip irrigation system. salinity level 24). Fig. 1 Biomass and N-accumulation of Sesbania spp. affected on rice yields compared with chemical fertilizer in saline soils S. ARUNIN, P. PONGWICHIAN:Salt-affected Soils and Management in Thailand 321 Table 1 Relative salt tolerances of plants at different salinity levels 19) Salinity level( Electrical conductivity of saturated soil extract, dS/m) Slightly salt-affected Moderately salt-affected Severely salt-affected soils soils soils Slightly Moderately Very highly 2-4 4-8 8-12 12-16 > 16 Vegetables Yard long bean Garden pea Chinese spinach Asparagus (Vigna unguiculata var. (Pisum sativum) (Amaranthus lividus L.) (Asparagus officinalis L.) sesquipedalis) Onion( Allium cepa) Chinese radish Chinese Kale Chinese Cabbage Sweet corn (Raphanus sativus) (Brassica alboglabra) (Brassica pekinensis) (Zea mays accharata) Tomato Holy basil Celery Grape( Vitis vinifera) (Solanum lycopersicum) (Ocimum sanctum) (Aqium graveolens) Lettuce( Lactuca sativa) Cowpea Water convolvulus Black Pepper Cabbage (Vigna unguiculata) (Ipomoea aquatic Forsk. Var. (Piper nigrum) (Brassica oleracea Climbing wattle reptan) Cucumber var. capitata) (Senegalia pennata) (Cucumis sativus) Potato Melon (Solanum tuberosum) (Cucumis melo) Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) Cantaloupe (Cucumis melo var. cantalupensis) Pineapple (Ananas comosus) Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) Flowers Gerbera Rose( Rosa hybrid) Everlasting Purslane (Gerbera jamesonii) (Gomphrena globosa) (Portulaca oleracea) Bougainvillea West Indian Jasmine (Bougainvillea hybrid) (Ixora chinensis Lamk. Ixora spp.) Portulaca (Portulaca grandiflora) Field crops and forage Mung been Rice( Oryza sativa) Joinvetch Cotton Indian Saltwort (Vigna radiate) Cowslip Creeper (Achesynomene aspera L.) (Gossypium hirsutum L.) (Suaeda maritime) Soybean (Sesbania speciosa) Salt-tolerant rice Burmuda grass Carunda (Glycine max) Hemp Fesbania (Oryza sativa) (Cynodon dactylon) (Carissa