Application of soil amendments as a strategy for water holding capacity in sandy soils

Abstract

Global warming will affect the pattern of precipitation, evaporation, water run-off, soil moisture, and climate variations so that it can threaten food production. High evaporation and unpredictable precipitation will cause drought. Sandy soils have low water holding capacity, high infiltration, and high runoff. The application of soil amendments able to improve the soil’s physical properties through increasing the water holding capacity to increase crop productivity. The research aimed to determine the effect of the application of soil amendments to water holding capacity in sandy soils. The method used was a randomized complete design with one single factor, the type of soil amendments consisting of 7 treatments: P0 (control/without amendment), P1 (cow dung 60 tons ha-1), P2 (rice husk biochar 10 tons ha-1), P3 (clay-soils 10 tons ha-1), P4 (cow dung 60 tons ha-1+ rice husk biochar 10 tons ha-1), P5 (cow dung 60 tons ha-1+ clay-soils 10 tons ha-1), P6 (rice husk biochar 10 tons ha-1+ clay-soils 10 tons ha-1). The results showed that the interaction of rice husk biochar 10 tons ha-1+ clay-soils 10 tons ha-1 significant to increase soil moisture and decrease soil permeability. Combination of cow dung 60 tons ha-1 rice husk biochar 10 tons ha-1 more increase soil aggregate stability index up to 1.87 times than control.

Chitosan-Graft-Poly(acrylic acid) Superabsorbent’s Water Holding in Sandy Soils and Its Application in Agriculture

“…Sandy soil has weaknesses, such as very low organic matter, low water-holding capacity, high infiltration, low soil moisture, and very high soil surface temperature (26–40 °C). These factors cause sandy soils to be less suitable for plant growth [ 38 ]. To increase the productivity of sandy soil, which can later be used for agricultural land, an attractive solution is the addition of superabsorbent polymer to increase soil moisture because the polymer can hold water and reduce the rate of water evaporation.…”

Evaluation of selected organic fertilizers on conditioning soil health of smallholder households in Karagwe, Northwestern Tanzania

“…Similar research has shown that the use of organic fertilizer enhances crop water use efficiency and soil moisture content [ 88 ]. Due to climate change, there is a possibility of increased and sustained soil moisture during periods of high evaporation and unpredictable precipitation [ 89 ]. In such circumstances, incorporating BS into the soil can enhance its ability to retain moisture over time.…”

Biochar enhanced phytostabilization of heavy metal contaminated mine tailings: A review

“…The increase in total porosity in soil is usually attributed to the highly porous internal structure of biochar particles (Zhou et al, 2018). Besides, biochar can increases the volume of micropores by filling the pores between soils (Herawati et al, 2021). Finally, the accumulation or rearrangement between biochar and surrounding soil particles can also create new pores (Yang and Lu, 2021).…”