Long-term changes in the floristic composition and soil characteristics of reclaimed sodic land during eco-restoration

• Published in: Journal of plant nutrition and soil science 2011-02, Vol.174 (1), p.93-102
• Main Authors: Kumar Srivastava, Pankaj, Baleshwar, Kumar Behera, Soumit, Singh, Nandita, Shyam Tripathi, Radhey
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: agro-ecosystem; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Biochemistry and biology; Biological and medical sciences; Chemical, physicochemical, biochemical and biological properties; floristic composition; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agroecology; General agroecology. Agricultural and farming systems. Agricultural development. Rural area planning. Landscaping; General agronomy. Plant production; Generalities. Agricultural and farming systems. Agricultural development; Microbiology; Organic matter; Physics, chemistry, biochemistry and biology of agricultural and forest soils; restoration; sodic-land reclamation; sodic‐land reclamation; restoration; soil microbial biomass carbon; Soil science; Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility; Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility. Fertilization. Amendments
• ISSN: 1436-8730; 1522-2624
• DOI: 10.1002/jpln.200900249

The study was conducted under the “Uttar Pradesh Sodic Lands Reclamation Project” to examine changes that occurred in the reclaimed sodic land in two districts of Uttar Pradesh, India. The study focuses on long-term seasonal changes in the floral diversity and soil characteristics of the reclaimed sodic land over a period of 10 y. The changes in the floristic composition, plant density, and soil characteristics (microbial biomass carbon [MBC], pH, exchangeable-sodium percentage (ESP), and electrical conductivity) were compared among the different study plots after different years of sodic-land reclamation. The study plots comprised reclaimed land with rice-wheat cultivation; semireclaimed land under rice cultivation only and nonreclaimed barren sodic land. There was a significant variation in the floristic composition of the three study plots. Dominance in the floristic composition was shifted from monocotyledonous weeds in the nonreclaimed sodic land to dicotyledonous weeds in the reclaimed land after 10 y of reclamation. Among the soil characteristics, the most remarkable changes were observed in soil MBC and ESP during the course of sodic-land reclamation. Soil MBC increased up to 480% and ESP values decreased up to 79% in the reclaimed plots with reference to the nonreclaimed plots. The soil amelioration was more pronounced in the upper layer (0-30 cm) as compared to the lower layer (below 30 cm depth). A positive significant correlation was revealed between soil MBC and floristic composition of the reclaimed plots. These changes in floristic composition and soil characteristics could be used as good indicators of the eco-restoration of the sodic lands. The present study provides useful insights in understanding the temporal progress of eco-restoration in the reclaimed sodic lands.