Oktay Yildiz, Ernaz Altundağ, Bilal Çeti̇n, Ş Teoman Guner, Murat Sarginci, Bulent Toprak. (2017). Afforestation restoration of saline-sodic soil in the Central Anatolian Region of Turkey using gypsum and sulfur. Silva Fennica vol. 51 no. 1B article id 1579. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.1579

Keywords: arid zones; Elaeagnus angustifolia; Tamarix smyrnensis; Populus alba; soil amelioration; exchangeable sodium percent

Highlights: Significantly enhanced height and diameter growth of Elaeagnus angustifolia and height growth of Populus alba improved with soil chemical amendments in comparison to control; Infiltration rate on gypsum application sites was 55% higher than on sulfur application sites; Elaeagnus angustifolia survival rates with chemical treatments were 43% greater than controls; Tamarix smyrnensis had the highest mean survival rate of 80%, while Populus alba averaged 36%.

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A significant amount of land area in the Central Anatolian Region of Turkey has saline-sodic soil properties. The aim of the current study was to use both soil amendment and tree to restore these degraded lands. The primary objective was to ameliorate soils by leaching excess sodium with gypsum and sulfur applications. Following soil treatments, salt cedar (Tamarix smyrnensis Bunge), Russian olive (Elaeagnus angustifolia L.) and silver poplar (Populus alba L.) seedlings were planted on experimental and control sites to evaluate the effects of the treatments on survival and growth of these species. In the fall of 2013, three-year-old seedlings were planted using 1.5 × 1.5 m spacing on each plot. Survival rates were determined and height and diameter were measured at the end of September 2015. Second year infiltration measurements indicated that both chemical treatments had significantly increased the infiltration capacity of the soil (P = 0.0003). Soil infiltration capacity on gypsum treated sites was about 55% higher than on sulfur sites. Following the second growing season, salt cedar had the highest survival rates of 80%. Silver poplar had 36% survival rates across the treatments. Russian olive had 50 cm height growth on both gypsum and sulfur application sites vs. only 25 cm on controls. Diameters of Russian olive on gypsum and sulfur sites were about 9.3 mm vs. 5 mm on the controls. Silver poplars on gypsum treated sites grew 42% taller than controls. Salt cedar had no significant growth responses among treatments. With appropriate soil amendments, especially gypsum, Russian olive gave the best overall two-year results.

Yildiz, Düzce University, Faculty of Forestry, 81620 Duzce, Turkey E-mail: oktayyildiz@duzce.edu.tr
Altundağ, Düzce University, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, 81620 Duzce, Turkey E-mail: ernazaltundag@duzce.edu.tr
Çeti̇n, Düzce University, Faculty of Forestry, 81620 Duzce, Turkey E-mail: bilalcetin@duzce.edu.tr
Guner, Eskişehir Soil and Ecological Research Institute, General Directorate of Forestry, 06560 Yenimahalle/Ankara, Turkey E-mail: stguner@ogm.gov.tr
Sarginci, Düzce University, Faculty of Forestry, 81620 Duzce, Turkey E-mail: muratsarginci@duzce.edu.tr
Toprak, Düzce University, Faculty of Forestry, 81620 Duzce, Turkey E-mail: bulenttoprak@duzce.edu.tr

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