Effect of green and farmyard manure on carbohydrates dynamics of salt-affected soil

Abstract

In Pakistan, salinization of agricultural lands is a serious problem prevailing in arid and semi-arid regions of the country. The main objective of the present study was to investigate the carbohydrates dynamics of the salt-affected soil, amended with different organic matter combinations and incubated for varying time periods (0, 15, 30 and 60 days) and temperatures (15 and 37 °C). Replenishment of soil organic matter (SOM) was made with Green manure (GM) and Farmyard manure (FYM). The soil pH, EC, Na+ and K+ contents were evaluated through standard methods. An improvement in the soil organic carbon (OC) and nitrogen (N) contents ranging from 0.10 to 1.40% and 0.05 to 0.55% was achieved through the selected soil amendment practices. Total carbohydrates were found to be enhanced with organic treatments alone or in combination, accounting for 13.20% to 26.30% of the total soil. Non-glycosidic interactions of soil carbohydrates with minerals were investigated by applying powdered X-Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis using a Rigaku wide range goniometer (PW 1050/23). Semi-quantitative analysis of the soil organomineral interactions, based on their relative frequency abundance, was expressed in terms of a system of nine components. X-Ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed interactions of varying magnitude namely major, minor, trace and rare between the soil carbohydrates and minerals.