Reaping Best from Sandy Soils
C. Sudhalakshmi
Coconut Research Station, Aliyar Nagar, Tamil Nadu (642 101), India
DOI: NIL
Keywords: Compaction Technology, Leaching, Sandy soils, Soil Structure
Abstract
Sandy soils are distributed throughout the globe and they are referred as ‘Hungry and Thirsty’ soils as they are poor in inherent soil fertility and retain very less water in the pores. They have weak and unstable soil structure with less surface area compared to clay soils eventually causing a setback in cation exchange reactions. Infiltration rate is very high (10-30 cm hr-1) and they very often encounter deficiencies of macro and micronutrients because of leaching losses of nutrients. Organic carbon content is less making the soil vulnerable to water and wind erosion. Compaction with stone roller, afforestation, application of organic manures, use of controlled release fertilizers, mulching and establishing water harvesting structures make the soils potentially productive and enable reaping better returns from the crops raised in these soils.
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Reference
FAO, 2020. http://www.fao.org/soils-portal/soil-management/management-of-some-problem-soils/sandy-soils/en/.
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