Salinity tolerance of earthworms and effects of salinity and vermi amendments on growth of Sorghum bicolor

ABSTRACT

Salinity is a major factor limiting irrigated agriculture in arid regions. Vermi amendments can be used for improving the fertility of salt-affected soils. Current study was aimed to find out the response of different earthworm species to soil salinity and to check the effects of salinity and different vermi amendments on growth of Sorghum bicolor under salt stress. Eight earthworm species were subjected to different salinity levels for 4 weeks. Various vermi amendments and salinity treatments were provided in a factorial combination to S. bicolor plants to see their effect on growth and biomass parameters. L. mauritii, E. incommodus and P. posthuma were found to be the most salt-tolerant species showing good survival and growth till soil EC_e value of 10.48 mS cm⁻¹. Results showed that salinity significantly decreased plant growth that was enhanced by the application of different vermi amendments. Maximum growth of S. bicolor was recorded when vermicompost and vermiwash were used together under both saline and non-saline conditions. The results showed that the application of vermi amendments improved nutritional balance of the soil, delayed salt-induced damage to the plants and supported their growth so can be helpful in increasing crop production on saline soils.

KEYWORDS:

• Crop yield
• organic farming
• saline agriculture
• vermitechnology

Acknowledgements

Help and support of GC University Botanic Garden staff in setting-up and conducting experiments is greatly acknowledged.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Faiza Sharif

Faiza Sharif is currently working as Assistant Professor at the Sustainable Development Study Centre, GC University Lahore, Pakistan. Her areas of research interests include Biological Conservation, Ecological Restoration and Environmental Education. One of her areas of research interest is rehabilitation and reclamation of degraded salt-affected lands using native species, on which she has published many papers in reputed journals. Restoring native thorn forest community on a saline land at Harappa was also the focus of her MPhil and PhD research. She got training on Environmental Education from Japan as a JICA awardee in 2005. She has successfully completed many research projects funded by GCU and WWF-P and is currently Principal Investigator of the projects funded by Botanic Garden Conservation International (BGCI-UK) and Higher Education Commission of Pakistan. She has also supervised PhD, MPhil and BSc (Hons.) research theses in the field of Environmental Science.

Madiha Usman Danish

Madiha Usman Danish is currently teaching in a local college. She earned her MPhil degree in Environmental Science from GC University, Lahore, and her BSc (Hons.) degree from Lahore College for Women University, Lahore. Current paper is the part of her MPhil research on the ‘Effect of different Vermi-amendments on the growth of Sorghum bicolor (SGS 5000) in Saline Soil’. Her research interests include Environmental Microbiology, Sustainable Agriculture and Solid Waste Management.

Adnan Sakhawat Ali

Adnan Skhawat Ali has recently completed his MPhil in Environmental Science from Sustainable Development Study Centre GCU, Lahore. Currently he is a Punjab Government employee and is working in Sialkot. He has 16 research publications on different domains of environmental sciences. His work focuses on to measure carbon sequestration by native plant species, effects of soil salinity on the growth of plants and effects of salinity on earthworms.

Amin ulhaq Khan

Amin ulHaq Khan earned his MSc degree in Ecology from the University of Aberdeen (1975) and PhD from Imperial College of Science and Technology, University of London (1987). He served GC University, Lahore, as Chairperson of Botany Department, Director of Sustainable Development Study Centre and Dean of Faculty of Science and Technology. A few of his remarkable contributions at GCU are setting up Dr. Sultan Ahmad herbarium at Botany Department and establishing Sustainable Development Study Centre (SDSC) and Pakistan Botanic Gardens Secretariat at GCU Botanic Garden. He has successfully completed many research projects funded by WWF-P of conservation of native forests and his work was acknowledged by WWF-Pakistan, in the form of ‘Living Planet Award’ (December 2009). He is working on a Botanic Garden Conservation International (BGCI-UK)-funded project on the restoration of dryland forests of Punjab since 2010. He has many research publications in reputed international journals and has supervised many PhD, MPhil and BSc (Hons.) research theses in the field of Environmental Science. He is currently working as a Professor at SDSC, GCU, Lahore.

Laila Shahzad

Laila Shahzad is teaching Environmental Science at Sustainable Development Study Centre for the last 8 years. She is doing PhD in Environmental Science with specialization in climatic changes. She has spent over years in research supervision and teaching environmental science with particular interest in ecology. Laila is working in Balakot, Pakistan, with local community in identifying and assessing their native Pine forest and soil services. She is a member of MEXT-JAPAN-PAKISTAN. She has contributed in drafting the article and revising it carefully.

Habib Ali

Habib Ali is Director Research at Pakistan Science Foundation, Islamabad. He received his MSc, MPhil and PhD degrees from the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan. He worked on conservation of Barn Owl (Tyto alba) in Central Punjab, Pakistan. His areas of interest include avian ecology, breeding biology and nesting behaviour. His recent work comprised studies on nocturnal roosts of House Crow (Corvus splendens) and brood parasitism by Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopacea). His recent paper was published on spatial distribution pattern of organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) through rice crop from selected districts of Punjab Province, Pakistan.

Abdul Ghafoor

Abdul Ghafoor completed his doctorate research under the supervision and guidance of Prof. Dr Mirza Azhar Beg Ret. EX, Dean, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad. He has 36 Research publications in refereed journals and is considered to be an expert in studying earthworms. He has supervised 3 PhD, 12 MPhil and 50 MSc students. He has worked on Higher Education Commission of Pakistan (HEC)-funded research project. He worked as Chairperson of Zoology Department and Additional controller of examinations GC University, Faisalabad, and he is an HEC approved PhD supervisor. Currently he is working as Chairperson, Zoology Department, University of Sargodha Women Campus, Faisalabad, for the last two years.