Abstract

Soil reclamation and cropping system evaluation experiments were conducted during September 2009 to September 2010 in the sodic soils of Mallasamudram series in Magudanchavadi block of Salem district, Tamil Nadu in two locations representing strongly sodic (pH <9.5) and very strongly sodic (pH >9.5) soils. Soil amendments such as gypsum, ferrogypsum, sugar factory pressmud and distillery spent wash were employed to reclaim the sodic soils. Three different cropping systems were tested in the above reclaimed sodic soils and evaluated. Among the treatments, distillery spent wash (DSW) @ 5 lakh litres ha -1 (T 3 ) required higher input energy in both the locations. Higher energy output in terms of economic and biological return was recorded under DSW treated plots in all the cropping systems tried at both the locations. Among the treatments T 3 recorded higher water use efficiency and higher land use efficiency under rice – finger millet – sesbania (S 3 ) cropping systems in both the locations. Among the cropping systems tried, S 3 sequence with T 3 treatment recorded higher production efficiency under both in Rs. ha -1 day -1 and kg ha -1 day -1 parameters at both the locations.

Keywords: Sodicity, amendments, energy, bio synthates production, WUE and DSW.