Salt
affected vertisols, locally known as black
cotton soils, occupy nearly 1.2 m ha of
area mainly in the States of Gujrat, Maharashtra,
Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. Such soils
are mostly lying either
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Layout
of research farm |
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barren
or have sparse stand of native hardy and
bushy species and some coarse grasses. Inherent
physical constraints such as low infiltration
rates and poor hydraulic conductivity pose
severe threat to crop growth and productivity
even at low salinity. In 1989, a regional
research station of CSSRI was established
at Anand, which subsequently shifted to
Bharuch in Gujrat to tackle the salinity
related problems in vertisols to undertake
basic and applied research on:
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Survey
and characterization of salt affected
vertisols and poor quality waters. |
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Generating cost-effective technologies
for the management of salt affected
vertisols. |
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Evolving strategies for efficient
use of salty waters for crop production. |
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To impart training
to the farmers and other user-agencies. |
Technologies
for the cost effective management of these
soils will help in raising economy of the
area. Sustainability of different crops
was evaluated for the region after completing
land capability classification. Salvadora-forage-grass
based land use system offers exciting management
options for highly degraded saline soils
having salinity levels of even more than
EC 65 dS/m. Converted efforts are being
made by the regional research station for
proper understanding of the problem of the
region and to find out the sustainable management
options for the slat affected lands.
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