Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
6
A Role for Biosaline Agriculture in Rehabilitation
of Saline Land
Studies done by International Center for Biosaline Agriculture in Central Asia in
collaboration with national partners from different institutions and agropastoral
farms for the period 2006-2011 identified target areas of greatest potential for
successful extensive pasture improvements, such as re-seeding of shrubs etc. Among
them the most important fodder and biomass production value are:
H
.
aphyllum
,
Calligonum
spp.,
Salsola paletzkiana
,
S
.
Richteri
,
S
.
orientalis
,
S
.
gemmascens
,
Artemisia
complex,
Halothamnus subaphylla
,
Kochia prostrata
,
Camphorosma
lessingii
,
Eurotia ewersmannia
,
Alhagi pseudoalhagi
,
Astragalus
spp.,
Glycyrrhiza
spp.,
Carex
complex,
Poa bulbosa
, halophytic annuals and others.
The measures include the establishment of on-farm demonstration trials for
using: (i) low quality water for irrigation and cultivation of suitable native wild and
cultivated tree and shrub species, as well as use of winter/summer conventional and
non-conventional drought and salt tolerant crops; (ii) domestication of economic-
valuable native halophytes on un-productive salt affected abandoned by farmers
lands and saline prone sandy desert rangelands; (iii) seed collection, post harvesting
packages and marketing to create employment opportunities for a large number of
people, particularly the poor rural, women and children in summer season; (iv)
establishment of tree plantations and shelterbelts that provide bio-drainage input,
organic matter, improvement of the microclimate, and promote by-products such as
wood, fruit or fodder. Different rations of feeding of small ruminants were tested
using traditional and non-traditional fodders. Studies have revealed sustainability
and resource efficiency use of the integrated crop-livestock production system.
Planting of fodder halophytes on high saline lands integrated with salt tolerant
trees and shrubs the importance of farming practice in mitigation of salinity and
lowering of the GW table. On the high end of the gradient, soil salinity and sodicity
(a measure of exchangeable sodium) were high in the
Climacoptera lanata
zone
[(EC
5.3 dS m
1
, sodium adsorption ratio-SAR
44.0 (mmoles L
1
)
0.5
]and
D
D
21 dS m
1
,SAR
extreme in the
Tamarix hispida
zone [(EC
274 (mmoles
L
1
)
0.5
]. Endemic species produced maximum biomass in the zone where they
originated, not in any other higher or lower vegetation zone.
Ta m a r i x
species,
Haloxylon aphyllum
and annual halophytes, which were distributed across nearly
all sites, had low frequency of occurrence. Based on this we have distinguished
common growth forms into distinct groups corresponding to different ground-water
levels. Three clearly defined groups of growth forms were strongly associated with
three distinct ground-water zones, ranging from
D
D
5 m, respectively.
Four taxa groups were found to correspond to the three ground-water zones and to
several other environmental factors that suggest a major botanical gradient exists
relating to ground-water depth than to the secondary gradients like soil moisture,
pH and to a lesser extent alkalinity and mineralization (Table
13.1
).
The overall ranking of the trees, weighing all parameters concurrently shows that
species of genus
Ta m a r i x
and
Elaeagnus angustifolia
have the highest potential for
<
3, 3-5 and
>
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