Sugar industry waste helps revive productivity of sodic soil: Experts
Tribune News Service
Karnal, December 22
In a major achievement in reviving the productivity of degraded soils with the help of sugar industry waste — pressmud— scientists of the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute (CSSRI), have been successful in the trial on sodic soil in the fields of five villages in Kaithal district. The scientists used pressmud, which is considered an environmental hazard, not only revived the productivity of sodic soils, but also reduced soil sodification, claimed the scientists.
As per the scientists, gypsum is generally used by farmers for reclaiming their sodic land, but the organic waste material from sugar industries has the potential to improve the sodic land and also increase crop yield in degraded environment.
Under the Farmer FIRST project, the CSSRI scientists led by Dr Parvender Sheoran, Principal Scientist, had started trial of pressmud on sodic soil of five affected villages —Mundri, Kathwar, Sampli Kheri, Geong and Bhaini Majra in 2016, where around 40 per cent of total land was sodic and 90 per cent underground water had residual alkalinity problems. After a four-year experimentation, they have now received good results and the productivity of the sodic land has been revived, said Dr PC Sharma, Director, CSSRI.
Dr Parvender Sheoran said the field assessments of more than 125 locations in rice-wheat system revealed positive influence of pressmud in alleviating the sodicity stress with appreciable reductions in soil pH and exchangeable sodium percentage, with better plant salt tolerance and enhanced grain yields. The economic analysis indicates that pressmud seems to be an affordable solution to lessening pressure on limited gypsum reserves, Dr Sheoran added. He claimed that the technology had potential agricultural benefits and paybacks with effective reclamation of degraded lands. The farmers are also elated with this technology as it has reduced sodicity in soil significantly. “The pressmud application gives more greenness to crop and requires less urea application and also improve soil health,” said Raj Kumar, a farmer.
