Potential of Bio-drainage for Soil Salinity and Water-Logging Management
Mukesh Kumar Mehla*
Dept. of Soil and Water Engineering, College of Technology and Engineering, MPUAT, Udaipur, Rajasthan (313 001), India
Khyati Singh
Dept. of Vegetable Science, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana (125 004), India
DOI: NIL
Keywords: Bio-drainage, Drainage, Soil salinity, Water-logging
Abstract
Bio-drainage technology is used for reclamation of salt affected water-logged areas. It involves growing of vegetation specially trees with high transpiration rate to control salinization and water logging in the area. It is resulting in multiple benefits including improved yield, nutrient use efficiency, cropping intensity and making land more arable to grow different crops, which were otherwise unfeasible on the water-logged soil. Eucalyptus, Acacia, Casuarina, Dalbergia, Populus, Syzigium, Leucaena, Prosopis, etc. are some popular options for bio-drainage. The consumption of water during the growing season depends on age, depth of groundwater level, species, spacing, and other conditions. The water use capacity of trees and other crops decreases with increase in water salinity. For example, in Eucalypt species when water salinity increases to about 8 dS/m transpiring capabilities are reduced to about one-half of potential. Therefore, salt tolerant tress species are considered for bio drainage. Careful planning and implementation of biodrainage system can be an effective alternative to traditional engineering drainage measures.
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Reference
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