Interactive effect of potash and organic manures on growth and nutrient uptake of sugarcane grown under saline conditions

Abstract

Soil salinity poses severe problems to crop production in many countries and this problem is very severe in arid and semi-arid regions of the world which occupy one third of the area of the earth (4.3 billion ha). Salinity is among the serious problems of irrigated agriculture of Pakistan. Millions of hectares of potentially productive land is uncultivatable due to excess of salt. The population of Pakistan is increasing at 2.61% and the gap between the supply and demand of agricultural products is widening day by day. In order to meet the future demand of food, fiber, fuel and industrial raw material, the extension of agriculture would require the use of marginal lands [1]. Most of Pakistan is arid to semi-arid and has a low annual precipitation. Of the 20.36 mha of the total cultivated land, 6.3 mha are salt-affected [1]. A major part of the salt affected soils (about 3.5 mha) are presently cultivated to rice, wheat, cotton and sugarcane, but the output is very low. According to an estimate, the reductions in the yield of rice, wheat, cotton, sugarcane cultivated on such moderately salt-affected soils are, 64, 62, 59 and 68 %, respectively [2].