POSTER SUMMARY
THE EFFECTIVENESS OF ELFER PERCOLATE IN THE RECLAMATION OF
ABANDONED SALINE SODIC SOILS - A POT EXPERIMENT
JOHANE T1, RAMBWAWASVIKA H2 AND MUTATU W2
1
Midlands State University, P/Bag 9055, Gweru
Zimbabwe Sugar Association Experiment Station, P/Bag 7006, Chiredzi
2
tapiwajohane29@gmail.com, hrambwawasvika@zsaes.org.zw, wmutatu@zsaes.org.zw
Abstract
Salinity and sodicity are a threat to soil productivity, especially in sugarcane that is produced
under irrigation, and this has resulted in the abandonment of some fields. A pot experiment
was conducted to test the effectiveness of elfer percolate as an ameliorant for the reclamation
of saline-sodic soils from an abandoned field in Section 10 of the Hippo Valley in Zimbabwe.
The soils were placed in pots, and sugarcane sets were planted before being treated with
different rates of elfer percolate. Fertilisers were applied according to the ZSAES protocol, in
order to keep the other variables constant. The pots were irrigated with water at a rate of 15
L/pot at weekly intervals. The leachates and soils were analysed to track the changes in the
pH, the Electrical Conductivity (EC), the Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR), as well as in selected
elements, such as potassium. The responses of the sugarcane to different treatments were
assessed by determining and comparing their crop growth factors. The results obtained after
leaching differed significantly in their EC, pH, Exchangeable Sodium Percent (ESP) and SAR.
An application rate of 30L/ha was able to reduce the SAR from 33.9 to 3.84, the EC from 4.22
to 0.43 dS/m and the pH from 8.37 to 7.70, on a CaCl2 scale. The leachate had its SAR and
EC increased from 17.05 to 54.07 and 0.88 to 10.70 dS/m, respectively, within seven (7)
weeks of the application, while the pH decreased from 8.40 to 7.18 within the same period.
The crop growth rates (biomass accumulation) were better in the elfer percolate-treated pots
than in the negative and positive gypsum control pots. It was therefore confirmed that the
application of elfer percolate at 30 L/ha has the potential to reclaim saline-sodic soils.
Keywords:
saline-sodic, electrical conductivity, elfer percolate, leaching, sodium
adsorption ratio, abandoned