The soil which experiences an average annual rainfall of less than 100 mm becomes desert soil. The soil loses gradually the primary and secondary nutrients which are necessary for plant growth and yield. The aim of this project is to reclaim soil fertility by adding fly ash and date palm leaves. A study will be conducted by varying the percentage of fly ash and date palm leaves, to reduce desert soil porosity and to increase water holding capacity. The desert soil samples will be collected from the nearby desert. The soil will be characterized for soil porosity, water holding capacity, sodium absorption ratio (SAR), pH, and electrical conductivity before conditioning.
Major Objectives :
(i) To fix the percentage of fly ash and date palm leaves in the soil. (ii) To fix macro and micro nutrients for plant growth in the soil (iii) To fix organic carbon in the soil. (iv) To reduce soil porosity. (v) To increase water holding capacity.
Research Team:
(I) Walaa Al Hinai (Team Leader), (ii) Nawwar Hilal Zaher Al Hosni, (iii) Dr S. V. Satyanarayana (Faculty mentor)