GROWTH RESPONSES OFEUCALYPTUS TERETICORNISANDACACIA NILOTICATO SELECTED METHODS OF SITE PREPARATION IN A HIGHLY SODIC SOIL

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Abstract
Growth responses of Eucalyptus tereticornis and Acacia nilotica were studied in a highly sodic soil, aquic Natrustalf, in two field experiments at the experimental farm of the Central Soil Salinity Research Institute, Karnal. In the first experiment, the effect of the composition of the filling mixture was studied when the auger hole dimensions (15 cm × 120 cm) were kept constant. Sixteen months after planting all of the eucalyptus seedlings and 62 per cent of the acacia seedlings had died in the auger holes in which the original soil had been left unchanged. Application of gypsum together with farmyard manure enhanced plant growth more than when gypsum alone was applied, but the effect was much more pronounced for eucalyptus than for acacia. The second experiment compared the effect of changing the dimensions of the auger hole/pit. The best growth of eucalyptus was obtained in auger holes 15 cm × 180 cm. Acacia achieved its best growth in 90 cm × 90 cm but the difference from performance with other auger hole dimensions was slight. Using auger holes of dimensions 15 cm × 180 cm and filled with a mixture of 3 kg gypsum and 8 kg farmyard manure appears to be a promising method for establishing plantations of Eucalyptus tereticornis and Acacia nilotica in highly deteriorated sodic soils.