2010 Volume 1 Issue 2 Pages 54-57
Salt affected soil is a serious problem in Thailand, particularly in the Northeast Plateau where salt bearing rocks are abundant. Excessive amounts of salts have a range of adverse effects on the physical and chemical properties of soil microbiological processes and plant growth. However, soil biological aspect of saline environment has been less studied. Tree Plantation has been introduced to improve salt-affected area. Monitoring of the changes by study the soil biota activities relation with physical and chemical soil characteristics are important. The aim of this study was to monitor the change of soil biota activity relation with the soil properties in the improved salt-affected area by Tree Plantation at Amphur Borabue, Mahasarakam Province, Northeast of Thailand. The physical, chemical and biological soil characteristics in soil sample were analyzed before and after tree plantation. The results showed that soil biota activity after tree plantation was higher than before. Soil respiration before and after tree plantation were 12.13 and 71.50 mg CO2/day, respectively. The EC, Na, K, and CEC values were decreased and pH, OM, and N were increased after tree plantation. The result from this study indicated that physical, chemical and biological properties were improved after tree plantation. This study’s result would be useful for sustainable land resources improvement and rehabilitation.
