Effect of Tillage and Humidification Conditions on Desalination Properties of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.)

Abstract

Chickpea is supposed to be a prospective crop for soil reclamation. The goal of this study was to determine the effect of tillage and humidification conditions on the chickpea desalination properties. The study was conducted by using the randomized split plot method in four replications during 2012–14 at the Agricultural Cooperative Farm «Radianska Zemlia» of Kherson region in Ukraine. The results of the study showed that the maximum salts uptake of 2.516 t ha-1 from the 0–50 cm soil layer and the maximum chickpea grain yield of 3.33 t ha-1 were provided under irrigated conditions with moldboard plowing on the depth of 28–30 cm. It was established that the higher chickpea grain yield is, the greater the salts uptake rate from the soil. It was also proven that the plowing depth has no significant effect on the chickpea grain yield and desalination properties. It should be mentioned that chickpea showed limited desalination properties. The crop was not able to adsorb all the sodium from the soil when irrigated with saline water.