Soil problems are a big challenge to the world. There are many problems faced as soil erosion, soil acidity, soil compaction, soil salinity, soil pollution, soil nutrient depletion and waterlogged soil. Almost 1.4 Billion hectares of land are wasted per year due to improper management. 4889 Million hacters are used as agricultural areas for food production.
833 Million hacter is under soil salinity and 12% of the land is affected by waterlogging in the world, If we do properly manage then we used this waste soil for future food production. Climate change has a major role in the wasteland and the problem soil can correct by the use of some cultural and chemical methods that very helpful for the reclamation of soil
Problematic soil harms food production and food shortage is a big problem faced by the world due to many reasons in these reasons one of them is soil degradation because if our soil is not properly used and wasted then how the crop is produced so careful management is compulsory about soil health issues.
If we recovered this soil then imagine how much food we can produce and then the problem of food shortage and food security is also solved so we need to focus on this soil this problematic soil also negative impact on the ecosystem’s health. The main point is that we identify those factors responsible for soil degradation and other soil health issue and possible solution for them to future prevent soil degradation.
We discuss some important soil health issues with possible solutions as they enlist
What is the main problem of soil?
- Soil Salinity
- Soil Erosion
- Waterlogged soil
1. Soil salinity:
Soil salinity is a major soil health face in the world special in Pakistan, the soil under salinity contains an excessively high concentration of sodium or soluble salt this reason that this soil is not best for agriculture because high concentrations burn the crops.
Many types of salt are present in saline soil as sodium, calcium, magnesium, chlorine, and different type of sulfate, and a relatively small portion of other salt bicarbonate, and nitrate are also present and these all type salt in saline soil a big problem for successful crop survival.
Reason for saline soil
There are many possible reasons as irrigation water, salt in groundwater, parent material, Acidic rain, and flooding water .big source of irrigation water is the river to the canal and river water comes from mountains and many soluble salts are present in the mountain mix in water and come in field and 100-200ppm salt is present in river water this is enough quantity to make soil saline.
Parent material also contains many types of minerals as weathering of rock in this process many salts go into the soil solution and when rainfall comes then this salt leached or goes to a low horizon in the soil and then accumulates in the soil so the soil becomes saline. salt In groundwater also plays an important role to make soil saline because underground water contains salt that goes to the root zone of the plant and damages the plant’s root system.
sodium absorption ratio (SAR) has a significant role in saline soil. Acidic rain makes soil saline because acid rain contains sulphuric acid and potassium acid this leads to global warming and climate change pattern
Solution of saline soil:
Some practices were useful in saline soil. Mixed gypsum 30 mesh for about 2 -4 weeks up to 4-5 irrigation because of flooding runoff salt from the field this is known as the reclamation process. The reclamation process means the exchange of calcium with sodium in saline soil.
Gypsum quantity varies as sandy soil 50% Caso4, medium soil 75% Caso4 and Heavy soil 100% Caso4 with the combination of FYM 10 tons per hacter. The use of some salt tolerates variety as NIAB, IRRIA of cereal crops, and wheat–sorghum pattern also used for saline soil. Application of organic matter as poultry manure add in saline soil and wheat straw add 20 tons per hacter used then rice yield increase 20-50 %.
Sulfate of potash (SOP) and mutate of potash (MOP) in rice–wheat system used then salt concentration is low. Different salt tolerate varieties such as SRI-8, SRI-12 of rice, and W-2 of wheat are used on saline soil
2. Soil erosion:
Erosion means the removal of an upper layer of fertile soil or detachment of soil particles from one place to another place due to water or wind .soil erosion is caused by the use of high or excessive tillage because high tillage disturbs soil particles and strength of soil particle is lost so it leads to wind erosion. Erosion is caused by many types as water erosion, removal of soil particles by water, and transportation by water. Splash erosion is the removal of soil by raindrops.
Sheet erosion is the removal of the thin layer of productive layer of soil. Rill erosion is channelization or finger-like projection of soil. Some factors responsible for erosion as the slope of the land, the nature of the soil, vegetation on the soil, and the distribution of rain. If the slope of the land is more than water and air more so high erosion takes place, if the soil nature is hard then low chance of erosion, if the land is covered with more vegetation the rate of erosion is low
Solution of erosion:
Some practices helpful against erosion as making bunds across the field, because bunds resist air and rainwater flow this practice, is helpful in the hilly area specially. Avoid animal grazing in the hilly area because high vegetation is the weapon against high rain and wind it reduced the speed of water and wind .terracing and strip cropping concept is very useful against erosion. Strip cropping on the sloppy area used an alternation of crops such as cotton, corn etc. addition of organic matter enhanced soil power and build soil particle against erosion so used organic matter in this type of soil
3. Waterlogged soil:
Waterlogging occurs when the surface of the soil is fully saturated with water, preventing gaseous exchange between soil particles and making it unsuitable for crop production. Soil can become waterlogged from various sources, including seepage from canals, high rainfall, percolation losses, and floods.
Seepage from canals is a significant issue, particularly in rural areas, where it is estimated that 45% of water seepage comes from the main canal. When water seeps from the canal, it infiltrates the soil horizon and mixes with the underground water table, leading to water accumulation and eventually waterlogged soil. Percolation loss occurs when crops do not use all of the water applied to them, leading to water accumulation and eventually waterlogging.
It is estimated that 12% of the water from paddy crops and 35% from other crops lead to percolation loss. Waterlogged soil negatively impacts plant health and crop yield because the fully saturated pores of the soil prevent gaseous exchange, leading to root death due to oxygen shortage. Additionally, the deficiency of oxygen in soil produces many toxic chemicals that negatively affect plant growth.
Solution of waterlogged soil:
The lining of the canal, irrigation practices, tree plantation along the bank of the canal proper drained system, and building of small dams. By lining of canal, different type of water losses is reduced as leaking looses, percolation losses, and runoff loss because when the canal base is lined then there is no chance of seepage water from the canal.
Growing tree plantations across the canal bank will lead to providing shade that reduced losses of evaporation and soil strength is high due to root penetration and root proper hold water in the soil. By build of a small dam, it has a big advantage in that when heavy or excess water is coms
When heavy rainfall comes then we can store water for a short time and use it for future needs .used such as crop waterlogged resistance variety that tolerates waterlogged conditions
Ali Haider, Noor Fatima, Muhammad Nouman, Muhammad Usama and Mazhar Hussain
University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan
