The effects of salinity and sodicity on soil organic carbon stocks and fluxes

Abstract

...¶ This thesis describes a range of laboratory and field investigations on the effects of salinity and sodicity on SOC dynamics.¶ In this research, the effects of a range of salinity and sodicity levels on C dynamics were determined by subjecting a vegetated soil from Bevendale, New South Wales (NSW) to one of six treatments. A low, mid or high salinity solution (EC 0.5, 10 or 30 dS/m) combined with a low or high sodicity solution (SAR 1 or 30) in a factorial design was leached through a non-degraded soil in a controlled environment. Soil respiration and the SMB were measured over a 12-week experimental period. The greatest increases in SMB occurred in treatments of high-salinity high-sodicity, and high-salinity low-sodicity. This was attributed to solubilisation of SOM which provided additional substrate for decomposition for the microbial population. Thus, as salinity and sodicity increase in the field, soil C is likely to be rapidly lost as a result of increased mineralisation.¶...