Effects of Applied Biochar and Municipal Solid Waste Compost on Saline Soil Properties and Sorghum Plant Attributes

The hypothesis is that incorporating saline soil with biochar or compost reduces the deteriorating effects of salinity. The pot experiment was irrigated with waters with different salinities (4.5 and 9 dS m-1) and a silty clay soil in pots was thoroughly mixed with 1.5% w/w of biochar, 1.5% w/w of municipal solid waste compost and the mixtures of 0.5 × 0.5% w/w of the two mentioned substances. Irrigation was provided to realize 0.15 leaching fractions for equilibrating the soil salinity. Soil and plants were analysed after two months (T1) and three months (T2) after sowing. Saline irrigation water decreased SAR (~45%) and SOC (~5.5%), respectively for T2 compared with T1. The biochar treatment reduced the amount of ECe in T1 and T2. Both irrigating with saline water and amendments greatly changed the amount of leaf water potential (LWP), chlorophyll and proline leaf. LWP and proline were increased by 17 and 76%, respectively, with increasing irrigation water salinity, while the leaf chlorophyll content was significantly decreased (~52%). The overall finding was that incorporating the saline soil of the region with biochar showed more potential to enhance soil properties and sorghum production