ABSTRACT
Soil salinity and sodicity are global problems since both promote the physical, chemical and biological degradation of soil, jeopardising the productive capacity of agricultural fields. Inorganic correctives or organic inputs are applied as an attempt to reduce the problem, alongside the use of salt -tolerant plants. This study aimed at evaluating the effects of organic inputs on the growth of neem (Azadirachta indica) strains in saline-sodic soil after cutting. Treatments were arranged in a randomised block design, with four replicates in a 3 × 5 factorial. Organic inputs - bovine manure, common bovine biofertilizer (equal parts of water and fresh bovine manure) and chemically enriched biofertilizer (common biofertilizer components combined with plaster, sugarcane molasses and cow’s milk) - were applied only once, after soil washing, two days prior to seeding, at the levels of 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12% of the substrate volume. Except effects on the stem diameter, the most efficient input was bovine manure, with strong effects on the height increase and biomass yield of neem plants after cutting, especially in treatments at a level greater than 6%. The organic inputs, despite increasing the soil salinity and sodicity in the interval between washing and cutting, stimulated biometric growth and biomass formation in saline-sodic soil.
Keywords:
Azadirachta indica; Bovine manure; Soil sodicity.
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