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Effects of Zeolite on SoilNutrients and Growth of BarleyFollowing Irrigation with SalineWaterAhmed Al-Busaidi a , Tahei Yamamoto a , MitsuhiroInoue a , A. Egrinya Eneji b , Yasushi Mori c &Muhammad Irshad aa Arid Land Research Center , Tottori University ,Tottori, Japanb College of Agronomy and Biotechnology , ChinaAgricultural University , Beijing, Chinac Shimane University , Matsue, JapanPublished online: 16 Jun 2008.

To cite this article: Ahmed Al-Busaidi , Tahei Yamamoto , Mitsuhiro Inoue , A.Egrinya Eneji , Yasushi Mori & Muhammad Irshad (2008) Effects of Zeolite on SoilNutrients and Growth of Barley Following Irrigation with Saline Water, Journal of PlantNutrition, 31:7, 1159-1173, DOI: 10.1080/01904160802134434

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Journal of Plant Nutrition, 31: 1159–1173, 2008

Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

ISSN: 0190-4167 print / 1532-4087 online

DOI: 10.1080/01904160802134434

Effects of Zeolite on Soil Nutrients and Growthof Barley Following Irrigation with Saline Water

Ahmed Al-Busaidi,1 Tahei Yamamoto,1 Mitsuhiro Inoue,1

A. Egrinya Eneji,2 Yasushi Mori,3and Muhammad Irshad1

1Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, Tottori, Japan2College of Agronomy and Biotechnology, China Agricultural University,

Beijing, China3Shimane University, Matsue, Japan

ABSTRACT

Soil salinity is a major abiotic factor limiting crop production but an amendment withsynthetic zeolite may mitigate effects of salinity stress on plants. The objective of thestudy was to determine the effects of zeolite on soil properties and growth of barleyirrigated with diluted seawater. Barley was raised on a sand dune soil treated with calciumtype zeolite at the rate of 1 and 5% and irrigated every alternate day with seawater dilutedto electrical conductivity (EC) levels of 3 and 16 dS m−1. Irrigation with 16 dS m−1 salinewater significantly suppressed plant height by 25%, leaf area by 44% and dry weightby 60%. However, a substantial increase in plant biomass of salt stressed barley wasobserved in zeolite-amended treatments. The application of zeolite also enhanced waterand salt holding capacity of soil. Post-harvest soil analysis showed high concentrationsof calcium (Ca2+), magnesium (Mg2+), sodium (Na+), and potassium (K+) due to salinewater especially in the upper soil layer but concentrations were lower in soils treated withzeolite. Zeolite application at 5% increased Ca2+ concentration in salt stressed plants;concentrations of trace elements were also increased by 19% for iron (Fe2+) and 10%for manganese (Mn2+). The overall results indicated that soil amendment with zeolitecould effectively ameliorate salinity stress and improve nutrient balance in a sandysoil.

Keywords: Barley growth, saline water, zeolite, soil nutrient, soil salinity

Received 16 April 2007; accepted 8 August 2007.Address correspondence to Ahmed Al-Busaidi, Arid Land Research Center, Tot-

tori University 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori 680-0001, Japan. E-mail: aeeneji@cau.edu.cn;albusaidiahmed@yahoo.com

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INTRODUCTION

The demand for fresh water is increasing worldwide due to fast populationgrowth and improvement in living standards. Conflicts between water use forirrigation and other uses have created interest in exploring the use of sea andother recyclable sources such as waste water. However, use of poor quality waterfor irrigation may lead to soil salinity and its associated problems. Accumulationof salts in the root zone affects plant performance through creation of waterdeficit and disruption of ion homeostasis (Munns, 2002) which in turn causemetabolic dysfunctions. These stresses change hormonal status and impair basicmetabolic processes (Munns, 2002; Loreto et al., 2003) resulting in growthinhibition and reduction in yield (Mass, 1993). Irrigation management practicesaim for the efficient use of saline water by maintaining salt accumulation in theroot zone at lower levels and cultural practices may dramatically improve theperformance of crops in saline environments. Soil permeability problems maybe prevented or corrected by using soil or water amendments.

Synthetic zeolite produced from coal ash is a beneficial soil amendmentbecause it enhances the absorption and retention of plant nutrients and water andsupplemented micronutrients (Burriesci et al., 1984). Since calcium (Ca) plays avital nutritional and physiological role in plants, the restricted plant growth dueto effects of specific ion or sodium (Na+)/Ca2+ imbalance may be amelioratedusing Ca-type zeolite. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is an important salt tolerantcereal crop grown under various climatic, soil, and water conditions. Thus it ismore amenable to irrigation with saline water than most crops. However, exces-sively saline water may hinder its growth and yield. We are not aware of studiesinto the use of Ca-type zeolite to mitigate the impacts of low-quality (saline)water on the productivity of agricultural crops. The objectives of this study werethus to evaluate changes in some soil properties and determine if the growth ofbarley irrigated with saline water can be improved with zeolite application.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The study was conducted in a glass house at the Arid Land Research Cen-ter, Tottori University, Japan. We used a sand dune soil whose properties areshown in Table 1. The soil texture was determined by the pipette method (Geeand Bauder, 1986). Exchangeable cations were leached from the soil with neu-tral ammonium acetate and their concentrations determined using an atomicabsorption spectrophotometer (Model Z-2300 Hitachi Corp, Japan). Electricalconductivity and pH of the soil: water suspension of 1: 5 were also measuredwith pH and EC meters (Accumut M-10 and Horiba DS-14), respectively. Theanalysis of the seawater used for irrigation is also shown in Table 1.

The experiment was conducted in plots as well as in pots (30 cm in heightand 16 cm in diameter) containing 5 kg of soil. The seawater was diluted to

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Table 1Selected physicochemical characteristics of soil and natural seawater studied

Soil Value Seawater Concentration

EC (1: 5) water 0.03 dS m−1 Nitrogen 630 µgL−1

pH 6.36 Phosphorus 99 µgL−1

Total N 0.021 % Potassium 398 mgL−1

Available-P 1.5 mg P2O5100 g−1 Sodium 10.8 gL−1

Exchangeable K+ 0.06 cmolc kg−1 Magnesium 1.29 gL−1

Exchangeable Ca2+ 0.34 cmolc kg−1 Calcium 412 mgL−1

Exchangeable Mg2+ 0.45 cmolc kg−1 Manganese 165 ngL−1

Exchangeable Na+ 0.10 cmolc kg−1 Zinc 590 ngL−1

Cation exchange capacity 2.40 cmolc kg−1 Sulfur 900 mgL−1

Bulk density 1.47 g cm−3 Iron 140 ngL−1

Infiltration rate 30.0 mm min−1 Chromium 260 ngL−1

Hydraulic conductivity 0.05 cm sec−1 Copper 380 ngL−1

Texture Sand Nickel 700 ngL−1

electrical conductivity (ECw) levels of 3 and 16 dS m−1. Synthetic Ca-typezeolite was applied at the rate of 0, 1%, and 5% (equivalent to 0, 1, and 5kg m−2). The two saline water treatments were factorially combined with thethree levels of zeolite and arranged into a completely randomized design withfour replications. Barley was the test crop and being salt tolerant, the saline waterof 3 dS m−1 was used as control treatment. The crop was irrigated on alternatedays depending on the crop evapo-transpiration (ETc) which was measuredgravimetrically in the pots. In addition to applying water equivalent to ETc,extra water with a leaching fraction of 0.4 was applied to the plants. A basaldose of fertilizer containing 180 kg ha−1 nitrogen (N), 45 kg ha−1 phosphorus(P), and 80 kg ha−1 potassium (K) was added in the irrigation water. Soil salinityand moisture content in plots were measured continuously using Time DomainReflectometry (TDR). A portable wet sensor was used to monitor the watercontent and salinity of soil at 0–10 cm depth. Direct soil sampling was alsocarried out to evaluate soil salinization and moisture content at depths of 0–10and 10–20 cm.

Fortnightly measurement of plant height was carried out and the leaf areawas measured using a portable area meter LI-3000A. After 10 weeks of growth,plants were sampled for determination of fresh biomass yield. The dry biomasswas estimated after drying shoots in an oven at 65◦C for 48 h. Soil samples werecollected from the plots and pots at 0–10 and 10–20 cm depth. The moisturecontent, pH and electrical conductivity (EC) in soil-water suspensions (1: 5)were measured as described above. The infiltration rate in the zeolite amendedsoils was also determined by double ring infiltrometer. Soil and plant samples(0.5 g) were digested with concentrated hydrochloric acid (HCl) to determine

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total Ca2+, magnesium (Mg2+), Na+, and K+ and some microelements usinginductively coupled plasma (ICP) system. Data were analyzed statistically usingthe analysis of variance and the means were compared at the probability levelof 5% using least significant difference (LSD).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Soil Salinity and Moisture

During the study, climatic conditions in the glass house varied with an aver-age temperature of 24◦C and relative humidity of 65%. The wet sensor data(Figure 1) showed that the effects of seawater irrigation on soil salinity were

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Figure 1. Water content and soil salinity at 0–10 cm depth as monitored by wet sensor.For this and subsequent figures: C denotes control or unamended soil and Z (1%) and Z(5%) denote zeolite application rates of 1 and 5%.

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significant. Zeolite application increased water content under both saline treat-ments. Moreover, soil under the higher salinity treatment had more water thanthat in the lower salinity treatment and this was due either to reduced wateruptake by barley or enhanced water density, viscosity and formation of saltcrust which resulted in low evaporation from the soil surface. Al-Busaidi andCookson (2005) reported that salt crust formation on the soil surface, inhibitedevaporation and reduced leaching efficiency under saline irrigation. Salt accu-mulation increased with frequency and EC of irrigation water (Figure 1) andzeolite application, notably at 5% increased both the content of salt and water,especially in the soil surface. The accumulation in the profile also varied sig-nificantly with EC of seawater, but it decreased substantially down the profile(Figure 2). Zeolite application limited salt build up in the initial days of thestudy compared to control. The EC difference became insignificant with time

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Figure 3. Average salinity of drainage water as affected by zeolite and saline water.

possibly due to the higher drainage of salts in the water under the influence ofzeolite (Figure 3). Zeolite can enhance exchange capacity of soils, hold cationson the surface, and release them at the expense of salts in the saline water(Vassilis and Inglezakis, 2005).

Zeolite treatment maintained higher soil water level than the control, thusconfirming that its application enhanced the water holding capacity of the soil.However, amending soils with zeolite increased soil salinity (Figure 4). Theincrease was directly related to the amount of minerals present in the zeoliteor its salt retention capacity. The fluctuation in soil EC was possibly due to theamount of salts either drained out in the water or taken up by the plants.

Figure 4. Average soil water content and salinity at 25 cm depth as measured withTDR.

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Figure 5. Infiltration rate of soil as affected by zeolite application under high salinitytreatment.

The infiltration rate of soil was negatively affected by zeolite (Figure 5) asthe fine particles and micro pores of zeolite slowed the percolation of water inthe soil. The reduced soil filtration increased the content of water in the soil.Thus, we suggest that zeolite application may enhance the residence of waterand restrict nutrient or salt leaching to lower soil horizons.

Soil Properties

The chemical composition of the soil was altered by saline water irrigationand zeolite amendment (Figures 6 and 7). Concentrations of cations increasedsignificantly with increasing salinity of irrigation water. Magnesium, Ca2+,Na+, and K+ concentrations decreased down the profile due to salt movementby the capillary action of water. At 3 dS m−1 irrigation water, Mg2+ was thehighest in soil followed by Ca2+, K+, and Na+ but at 16 dS m−1, Na+ andMg2+ appeared to be the dominant cations. Compared with other ions, Mg2+

concentration increased down the profile. Concentrations of elements in soilwere definitely related to their relative concentrations in the irrigation water.

Treatment with zeolite increased cation concentrations in the upper soillayer and decreased concentrations down the profile. The lower salt accumula-tion in the subsurface soil or root zone may offer a reduced salt stress on plants.Thus, an application of higher doses of zeolite may filter harmful salts from theroot zone, thereby creating a favorable environment for plant growth.

Higher concentrations of manganese (Mn) and iron (Fe) were found withsea water applications (Figure 7). Concentrations of all heavy metals appeared

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Figure 6. Major elements of soil as affected by zeolite and saline water. For Figure6–7: C0 = unamended soil sample taken from 0–10 cm depth, C20 = unamended soilsample (10–20 cm), 1Z0 = 1% zeolite treated soil (0–10 cm) and so on.

to be higher in the upper soil layer than the sub-soil, particularly in zeoliteamended plots, indicating that heavy metals in soils may be sorbed by zeolite.Vassilis and Inglezakis (2005) reported a wide use of zeolites for ion-exchangesin the soil solution. Querol et al. (2006) suggested that zeolite synthesized fromcoal fly ash may be an effective amendment to attenuate soil contamination bytrace elements and the application of zeolite at 2.5 t ha−1 to contaminated soilsdecreased heavy metals [cadmium (Cd), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni),zinc (Zn)] up to 95–99% during the leaching process.

Plant Growth

A summary of the two-way analysis of the interactive effects of zeolite and wa-ter EC on plant growth is given in Table 2. Plants irrigated with saline water withan EC of 3 dS m−1 were taller and had larger leaf area than those irrigated with

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Table 2Summary of two-way analysis of variance on saline water and zeolite effect on soil andplant parameters

F-value

Parameter Saline water (S) Zeolite (Z) S × Z

Soil EC 226.8∗ NS 10.8∗

Soil cationsMagnesium 80000∗ 21350∗ 141650∗

Sodium 24290.4∗ 9104.9∗ 10498.4∗

Calcium 94429.2∗ 48318.9∗ 158145.0∗

Potassium 103121.8∗ 6382.9∗ 32210.7∗

Dry biomass 2385.4∗ 330.6∗ 90.5∗

∗Denote the level of significance (P < 0.05) and NS denotes non-significanteffect.

Figure 7. Micro elements concentration in soil as affected by zeolite and saline water.

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Table 3Plant growth parameters as affected by salinity and zeolite treatments

Height Leaf area Grain Fresh weight Dry weightTreatment (cm) (cm2) (No.) (g) (g)

Saline water Zeolitetreatment

3 dS m−1 Control 85.0 36.5 186 1615.2 417.0Zeolite 1% 81.5 34.8 188 2039.7 448.7Zeolite 5% 81.5 37.8 195 1727.7 454.5

16 dS m−1 Control 63.5 20.3 91 902.5 166.6Zeolite 1% 67.7 20.0 106 916.5 187.2Zeolite 5% 69.6 22.1 116 988.5 205.4

16 dS m−1 saline water (Table 3). Salinity stress retards plant growth throughits influence on several vital plant physiological processes, e.g., osmotic adjust-ment, nutrient uptake, photosynthesis, organic solute accumulation, alteration inrespiration rates, and soil water potential (Pessarakli, 1994). The adverse effectof salinity on plant growth has been reported by various researchers (Crameret al., 1990; Mass and Hoffman, 1977; Song and Fujiyama, 1996). Responseof plants to salt stress is also a function of salt concentration, type of ions, stageof plant development and other environmental factors. Saline soils inhibit plantgrowth through reduced water absorption, reduced metabolic activities due tosalt toxi2ity and nutrient deficiencies caused by ionic interferences (Yeo, 1983).

Barley crop responded positively to zeolite amendment especially in thehigher salinity treatment (Table 3). Zeolite treatment at 5% produced tallerplants, and more grains and plant biomass than at 1%. This response was pos-sibly associated with water, salt and nutrient dynamics in zeolite mixed soils.The improvement in growth may also be related to the essential nutrients con-tained in zeolite. Ayan et al. (2005) reported increased cation exchange ability,water retention and plant nutrients following zeolite application. Usually thehigher Na+ content in saline soils disturbs the nutritional balance and upsetsthe osmotic regulations of plant tissues (Pessarakli, 1994). Zeolite provides analternative Ca2+ cation to the soil-plant system reducing the ratio of Na+/Ca2+.The provision of Ca2+ from zeolite in the root media would prevent an accu-mulation of toxic Na+ ion in plants. Song and Fujiyama (1996) ascribed theameliorative effects of the Ca-type zeolite on the rice and tomato growth todecreases in Na+ concentration in shoots as well as Na+/Ca2+ and Na+/K+ ra-tios of shoots and roots. The greater need for Ca2+ by plants in the saline-sodicsoils and reduced activities of Ca2+ due to ionic interactions and precipitationare partially responsible for reduced yields under saline or sodic conditions(Janzen and Chang, 1987; Rengasamy, 1987). The conditioning of saline soilwith zeolite could mitigate the stress effects of salts on plants.

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Effects of Zeolite on Soil Nutrients 1169

Figure 8. Major cations concentrations in barley as affected by zeolite and saline water.

Plant Tissue Analysis

Higher elemental concentrations, especially of K and Na ions, were observedin shoots after irrigation with diluted sea water (Figure 8). Much of the K+ wasattributed to the K added to the irrigation water (fertigation) whereas the (Na+)was essentially related to the higher level contained in the seawater. Nutrientavailability and uptake in saline environments are related to (James, 1990): i)the activity of nutrient ions in the solution, which depends on pH, pE, and saltcomposition, ii) the concentration and ratios of accompanying elements thatinfluence the uptake and transport of this nutrient by roots, and iii) numerousenvironmental factors. In plant nutrition K+, Mg2+, and Ca2+ all play the samerole, i.e., they act as a buffer system of plant cells, and hence they can besubstituted for each other (Rabie and Kumazawa, 1988). Classen and Wilcox(1974) reported that the uptake of K+ by plants at high salinity levels wasreduced by increasing availability of Ca2+, Mg2+, and Na+ from added salts.

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Salt addition to the soil plant system may add or remove essential elements.The higher amount of Na+ in the root zone could decrease the uptake of otheressential cations, e.g., Ca2+, Mg2+, and K+ by the plants due to cation-balance(Pessarakli, 1994).

For each EC level of seawater, concentrations of Na and K ions in tissuespeaked at the zeolite level of 1% but those of Ca2+ and Mg2+ were not affected byzeolite application. Cramer et al. (1985) ascribed the low concentration of Ca2+

to: i) its less uptake by plants compared to N, P, or K+, ii) its presence in zeolitein less bioavailable form, and iii) competition for absorption or activities in thesoils from other cations contained in sea water. Such physiochemical changesin the system may deregulate plant nutrition under saline conditions.

Shoot concentrations of Fe2+ and Mn2+ were higher than those of Ni andchromium (Cr) under saline irrigation (Figure 9). The interaction of salts withtrace elements in the soil-plant system is rather complex. Salinity may havecertain stimulatory as well as inhibitory effects on the uptake of some mi-cronutrients by the plants. For instance, Alam (1990) reported that changes innutrient uptake depended on the salt tolerance of plant species, growth patternor changes in the permeability of crop cell membrane. Salinity increased Mn2+

concentration in barley, rice, sugar beet and tomato but decreased its concen-tration in barley, squash, pea and corn (Cramer et al., 1991). It also increased

Figure 9. Concentration of microelements in barley as affected by zeolite and salinewater.

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Fe2+ concentration in pea, tomato, soybean, squash, and rice and decreasedit in barley and corn (Mass et al., 1972). Suhayda et al. (1992) reported thatthe availability of most micronutrients could depend on the pH, pE of the soilsolution, and the binding sites of organic and inorganic particle surfaces. Insaline and sodic soils, the solubility of micronutrients (e.g., Cu2+, Fe2+, Mn2+,and Zn2+) was low and plants grown in these soils may experience deficienciesin these elements (Page et al., 1990).

Concentrations of Mn were significantly reduced in the zeolite amendedsoil irrigated with saline water with higher EC. Some other metals, e.g., Zn andCr in the plant decreased with zeolite application at low saline irrigation. Thismay support the hypothesis that zeolite can adsorb heavy metals from the soilsolution making them unavailable to the plants. However, Yamada et al. (2002)reported increased concentrations of Fe2+, Mn2+, Zn2+, and Cu2+ in beet plantsdue to Ca-type zeolite treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Using zeolite to amend soil irrigated with saline water could mitigate the harmfuleffects of salinity on barley because it improved plant production and sustainedhigher soil-water. There were higher concentrations of Na, K, Mg, and Ca undersaline water in the upper soils following irrigation with saline water, but thisdecreased down the profile. Concentrations of heavy metals in the sub-soil alsodecreased with zeolite amendment. Thus amending a sandy soil with zeolitemay filter heavy metals and produce a conducive environment for plant growth.Although use of saline water for irrigation is not widely practiced for obviousreasons, a soil amendment like zeolite seems to be a promising managementtool under such conditions.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors would like to thank Chubu Electric Power Company for finan-cial assistance and supplying zeolite material. We are also thankful to Dr. K.Nishino and all members of his team for their effective contribution during theexperiment.

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