Effects of organic amendments on soil properties and growth characteristics of Melon (Cucumis melo L.) under saline irrigation

Abstract

Establishing strategies of organic amendments application to mitigate the adverse effects of saline irrigation are essential for the sustainable agriculture. A two-year pot experiment was conducted using combinations of organic amendments including effective microorganisms (EM), biochar (BC) and digestate (Di) to investigate their effects on soil and melon (Cucumis melo L.) compared with the recommended NPK fertilizer and Control (CK) under two levels of irrigation water salinity (SL0: 0.25 dS/m, SL1: 2.0 dS/m). Results showed combined applications of organic amendments could significantly (p<0.05) increase soil pH and organic matter (OM) compared to NPK and CK. Application of organic amendments containing BC evidently increased the sodium adsorptive capacity (SAC) under saline water solution. The combined application of EM, BC and Di (EM+BC+Di) could significantly (p<0.05) improve soil available water retention under SL0 and SL1 compared with other treatments. Results also showed organic amendments application can significantly (p<0.05) enhance the photosynthetic rate (Pr) and reduce sodium ion (Na + ) content in melon leaves. EM+BC+Di could significantly (p<0.05) increase water use efficiency (WUE) and fruit yield of melon under SL0 and SL1 in comparison to other treatments. It proved that EM+BC+Di had a positive effect on soil improvement, melon growth, WUE and fruit yield. Moreover, EM+BC+Di could be used as an alternative strategy for mineral NPK fertilization of melon at reasonable dosages and frequencies under saline irrigation.

Olive Tree Physiology and Productivity Responses under No-Tillage or Digestate Amendment in an Acid Clay Soil

“…Needless to say, solid anaerobic digestate exerts beneficial effects on soil physical properties, in full accordance with what was reported by several authors [19,53]. Moreover, it has been shown that digestate-released organic matter can contrast salt addition effects, thus enhancing soil water availability [61]. We also observed that under rainfed conditions and in a fine-textured soil, the no-tillage practice was even more effective in maintaining the soil water-holding capacity and alleviating any water stress, as shown by the photosynthesis-related parameters that were always higher in NT than in both tilled plots (either amended or not).…”

Improving Growth of Schefflera Arboricola Endl. Cv. Gold Capella Plant Grown in Sandy Soil by Some Natural, Organic and Biotic Additives Under Various Water Regimes Treatments

“…which enhance plant growth. They also chelate HAs and antioxidants when mixed with organic matter (Elbashier et al, 2021).…”

“…Effective microorganisms (EM) include yeasts, photosynthetic, lactic acid bacteria, and actinomycetes that secrete useful substances such as vitamins, organic acids, and hormone-like substances, and create favorable conditions for plant growth. When mixed with organic substances, it also chelates heavy metals and antioxidants (Elbashier et al, 2021).…”

Efecto de un biol sobre las características del suelo y la producción de brotes en pitahaya (Hylocereus sp.)

“…Como resultado de la digestión anaeróbica, se produce biogás como producto principal, mientras que el subproducto es el digestato (o digestado), cuya parte líquida se denomina biol (Solís-Oba et al, 2021). Los bioles pueden aportar macronutrientes, micronutrientes, materia orgánica, y otros beneficios derivados de su composición microbiológica (Elbashier et al, 2021).…”

“…Varios investigadores han estudiado el efecto de los bioles aplicados al suelo, sobre el crecimiento de varios cultivos, y en comparación con el testigo, se ha obtenido un aumento en: tasa fotosintética, eficiencia en el uso del agua, altura de planta, peso de la parte aérea de la planta, área foliar, longitud de raíz, tasa de crecimiento del cultivo, y rendimiento, entre otros (Cordero, 2010;Toalombo, 2013;Ramírez et al, 2016;Linares-Gabriel et al, 2017;Santin, 2017;Coaguila et al, 2019;Castro-Barquero et al, 2020;Elbashier et al, 2021;Solís-Oba et al, 2021).…”