Relationship of Selected Soil Properties with the Micronutrients in Salt-Affected Soils

Muhammad Mohiuddin, Muhammad Irshad, Sadaf Sher, Faisal Hayat, Ammar Ashraf, Salman Masood, Sumera Bibi, Jawad Ali and Muhammad Waseem
Additional contact information
Muhammad Mohiuddin: Department of Environmental Sciences, Kohsar University Murree, Murree 47150, Pakistan
Muhammad Irshad: Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Abbottabad Campus, Islamabad 45550, Pakistan
Sadaf Sher: Civil & Environmental Engineering Department, Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS Persiaran UTP, Seri Iskandar 32610, Perak, Malaysia
Ammar Ashraf: Civil Engineering Department, Middle East Technical University, Çankaya 06800, Turkey
Salman Masood: Department of Civil Engineering, Swedish College of Engineering and Technology, Rahim Yar Khan 64200, Pakistan
Sumera Bibi: Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI), Abbottabad Campus, Islamabad 45550, Pakistan
Jawad Ali: Environmental Research Institute, Shandong University, Qingdao 266237, China
Muhammad Waseem: Department of Civil Engineering, Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology, Topi 23460, Pakistan

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 6, 1-17

Abstract: The present study aimed to assess the relationship of soil properties in salt-affected soils. The soil samples were collected from 14 districts of Pakistan. Soil salinity and sodicity are the common features of the arid and semiarid regions. The effects of the salt’s interactions with soil micronutrients have not been well studied. Therefore, saline and non-saline soil samples were collected from different locations. The microelements (Fe, Cu, Mn, and Zn) were fractionated into water-soluble, exchangeable, carbonate, Fe + Mn oxide, organic, and residual fractions. Univariate and multivariate analysis (PCA) was carried out to determine the linear relationship between soil properties and micronutrients fractions. Results showed that the magnitude of micronutrients appeared to be affected by the salinity in soils. In saline soil, the Fe fractions differed in the order of residual > organic bound > Fe + Mn bound > carbonate bound > exchangeable > water soluble. Iron fractions varied in the non-saline soils as residual > Fe + Mn bound > organic bound > exchangeable > carbonate bound > water soluble. Copper concentration was higher in the residual and carbonate forms, and the amount was lower in the exchangeable and water-soluble forms under both saline and non-saline conditions. The water-soluble Mn fraction was lower, and the residual Mn fraction was proportionately higher than other forms of Mn in soils. Zinc was found mostly in the residual fraction in both saline and non-saline soils. The mobility factor of micronutrients in non-saline soil was greater than in saline soil. PCA revealed that organic matter (OM) and pH directly affected the fractionation of Cu, Mn, Zn, and Fe in soil. Thus, it could be inferred that salts can bring changes to the composition of micronutrients depending on the nature of the soil and the magnitude of salts.

Keywords: micronutrients; fractionation; saline soil; non-saline soil; arid region (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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