Organic Amendments with Plant-Growth-Promoting Fungi Support Paddy Cultivation in Sodic Soil

Abstract

Excessive sodium content in sodic soils is an important limiting factor for cultivation of agricultural crops. The present study was conducted to explore the influence of a novel organic amendment (SF_OA) along with use of plant-growth-promoting fungi (PGPF) on soil properties and growth/yield of Oryza sativa L. The combined application of PGPF and SF_OA increased total organic carbon (TOC) (0.62%) and decreased the exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) (15.6%) of soil more significantly from 0.56% (TOC) and 30.1% (ESP), respectively compared to SF_OA alone treatment. The combined application reduced soil bulk density, pH, and electrical conductivity (EC) and improved soil enzymatic activities. A significant negative correlation was observed between grain yield with soil ESP and bulk density (r = –0.728, and –0.789, respectively). This study showed that the combined treatment of PGPF and SF_OA could enhance the potential of organic amendments for alleviating salt stress in rice.

Keywords:

• PGPF
• reclamation
• rice
• soil organic formulation

Additional information

Funding

The authors are grateful to the director, CSIR–National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, India, and the Council of Scientific Industrial Research (CSIR), India for providing institutional and financial support under the CSIR Network Project, respectively. Manjul Gupta (Ref. No. 3161/NET-JUN-2010) and Suman B. Singh (Ref. No. 330323-23/12/2012(ii)EU-V) are thankful to the University Grants Commission and CSIR for financial support through research fellowships.