Difference between saline and sodic soil treatment, when gypsum helps and when it does not.
Is gypsum the same treatment for saline soil as for sodic soil?
PPremchand Vishnoi6mo ago · 184 views
3 Answers
🌾Farmer.in Krishi TeamExpert ✓6mo ago
No, the two need different treatments, which is why a soil test matters. Sodic (alkaline) soil has high exchangeable sodium and high pH, and gypsum is the right amendment because the calcium in gypsum replaces sodium, which you then leach away. Saline soil has high total soluble salts (high EC) but not necessarily high sodium, and the main treatment is leaching the salts down with extra good quality water plus proper drainage, not gypsum. Saline sodic soil needs gypsum plus leaching together. Applying gypsum to a purely saline soil wastes money and may not help. Get your soil classified as saline, sodic, or saline sodic by a lab first, then follow the matching treatment and your KVK; do not over apply amendments.
RRatan Lal Bishnoi6mo ago
I wasted a whole truck of gypsum on a saline patch before I learned this. It did nothing because my problem was just salt, not sodium. Once I focused on leaching with good water and a drain it slowly improved. Get the lab to tell you which problem you have before spending.
HHukam Singh Rajpurohit5mo ago
An easy way I remember it: sodic soil goes hard and slick and seals up, saline soil shows a white salty crust on top. They look different in the field. But still confirm with a test, because saline sodic is a mix and needs both gypsum and leaching together.