SEASONAL CHANGES AND PLANT NUTRIENT TRANSFORMATION IN

WATERLOGGED FIELDS

Ritu Thakur

NERIWALM

Seasonal changes of water logged soil due to drying and wetting:

Seasonal changes of water logged soil pertain to the seasonal waterlogging area
and texture of soil. It occurs in low lying areas due to accumulation of run off water
during rainy season in regions where annual rainfall is more than 75 cm. In that case
ground water table stands at or above surface level. Here sub soil permeability is low and
paddy cultivation is not possible if in height of standing water is above 30 cm ( i.e., no
crop from June to October). In such case surface and subsurface soils experience periods
of dry periods followed by relatively rapid wetting for a long time.

1. The matric potential varies with the content of soil water. The drier a soil is, the
greater is the tendency of the soil to wet and the greater is the release of energy when it
becomes wetted. In fact, when oven dry clay is wetted, a measureable increase in
temperature occurs due to the release of energy as heat. This release of heat is called the
heat oph wetting. Generally, the drier a soil is, the lower is the matric potential due to
release of energy.

2. Both C and N mineralization rates generally increases for a few days after rewetting
of the dry soil. Under aerobic conditions there is a higher rate of N mineralization in
the soil compared with under anaerobic conditions PREVAILING IN WATERLOGGED
SOIL. There are two hypothesis:

A. The rapid change in soil water potential associated with rewetting may cause soil
microbes to undergo osmotic shock, inducing microbial cell lysis or release of
intercellular solutes. These labile C and N substrates then could be rapidly mineralized by
the existing microbes yielding a pulse of C and N.

B. Alternatively drying and wetting may cause soil aggregates to break apart, exposing
physically protected organic matter which could then be rapidly mineralized by microbial
community.

3. Poor aeration: In waterlogged soils the air between the soil particles is replaced by
water. This results in a lack of oxygen which will cause root and plant death.
4. Soil structure: Continuous water stagnation destroys the soil structure and makes the
soil compact but During the rice growing season, wetting and drying cycles influence the
reaggregation of soils (Bakti et al. 1998) which is beneficial for growing upland crops
after rice harvest.
5. Soil Texture: There is reduction in the amount of silt+clay (<20 µm) and clay (<2 µm)
particles dispersed during wetting/drying cycles in clay and sandy loam soil respectively.
6. Soil temperature: water-logging lower down the soil temperature. Moist soils have a
higher specific heat than dry soils.
7. Redox potential of soil decreases in submerged periods. On drying or drainage redox
potentials rise , Fe2+ and Mn2+ concentrations decrease and C,N and S oxidise.
8. Hydraulic conductivity: The velocity of water flow is also affected by the soil's
ability to transmit water or the hydraulic conductivity (k). Water flow through large pores
is faster than through small pores; flow is faster when the conductivity is greater.
Hydraulic conductivity decreases as submergence prolongs. additional complication is
that hydraulic conductivity is a non-linear function of soil water (Figure 6.17). When
saturated, a loam has a hydraulic conductivity of 25 mm hour -1. At a water content of
90% of saturation, the hydraulic conductivity is only 6 mm hour -1, and at 80% of
saturation it is only 1 mm hour-1. As soil dries, not only is water held more tightly to the
solid particles (i.e., suction increases and matric potential becomes more negative), but
the pore space filled with water becomes smaller and discontinuous. As a result,
movement of water is hindered and hydraulic conductivity decreases. In general, sand has
the highest hydraulic conductivity for a given water content, loam has moderate hydraulic
conductivity, and clay has extremely low conductivity.

8. Phosphorus: There is also evidence that P solubilization and availability are increased
by alternate wetting and drying of soil (Turner and Haygarth, 2001).

CONDITIONS OF NUTRIENT TRANSFORMATIONS DUE TO

WATERLOGGING:

Issues Caused by Waterlogging regarding nutrient avalability are:

 Fruit bearing crops such as tomatoes will not be able to take up calcium, which
will affect their quality and fruit life.
 Nutrients such as nitrates, phosphates, some potassium, sulphates and boron
are easily leached, and zinc becoms less available.
 Silting can also cause de-nitrification of the soil by bacteria, due to less oxygen
being present in the soil. This issue becomes significant when the soil has been
waterlogged for 36 hours or more.
 Intense rain causes compaction of the top layer of soil. More the Compaction
more will be deficiency of oxygen.
 In sandy soils where there is little organic matter, nutrients are stripped or
leached out of the profile very rapidly - but the soils do drain quickly.
 In soils with a clayish sub-soil (this is widespread in Australian soils), water will
seep down to the clay layer and then sit there because it cannot go any further
down the profile.
 Clayish soils, which have a high water holding capacity, will lose oxygen as
more and more water seeps into the profile. In addition to this, nitrogen starts
to convert into the gaseous form and is given off from the soil.
 Rapid build up of water on the surface can cause erosion and loss of top soil.
 Beneficial soil microbes will die.
 Loss of oxygen causes plant systems to close down. The roots stop drawing
nutrients out of the soil.
 Nutrient related problems of water-logged soils are:
 Water depth: Low land areas are usually flooded to depths of about 50 cm and
the limitations to crop production associated with extensively low reduction potentials
and partly because of low phosphorus availability.
 Poor aeration: Due to water-logging, a part of the soil air moves out into the
atmosphere as it is displaced by the incoming water.
 Soil structure: Continuous water stagnation destroys the soil structure and makes
the soil compact
 Soil temperature: water-logging lower down the soil temperature. Moist soils
have a higher specific heat than dry soils.
 Soil pH: There are reversible pH change of the flooded soil, pH tends to increase
in acidic soils and decrease in alkaline soil.
 Availability of nutrients: Nitrogen- nitrogen deficiency is extremely common
in water-logged soil. Due to lower temperature and reduced condition, mineralization of
organics is affected.
 Phosphorus: The inorganic form of P are usually present at higher levels in
flooded soils then in upland soils
 Potassium: K response is apparent in many lowland soils. Flooding and puddling
of the soils during lowland preparation may considerably increase the soil solution
concentration of K because of displacement of exchangeable K by the large amounts of
Fe and Mn in the soil solution.
 Sulphur: Sulphur deficiency has been reported from many lowland area. The
reduction of SO4 in flooded soils has three implications for rice culture: the S supply
may become insufficient ,Zn and Cu may be immobilized, and H2S toxicity may arises
particularly in soils low in Fe. NE soil is high in Fe.
 Zinc: Widespread deficiency of Zn to rice crop in wetland conditions is reported.
Zinc is most frequently deficient in normal alkaline soils as compared to normal soil. NE
soil is deficient in Zn due to higher rainfall/ leaching.
 Iron and Managanese: Fe and Mn are available in excess causing toxicity to the
plant
 Effect on crops: Under water-logged condition all field crops connot survive due
to poor aeration and uaavailability of nutrients to the plant. Only rice is an exception.

Chemical changes of nutrients in waterlogged soil

A. Soil Profile wise change:
Submerged soils are soils that are saturated with water for a sufficient long time in
a year. The soil is intermittently saturated with water, oxidation of organic matter is
slow and it accumulates in the "A" horizon. In the second horizon Fe and Mn are
deposited as rusty mantels or streaks if the diffusion is rapid they are deposited as
concretions. In submerged soils due to diffusion of oxygen in the water, the organic form
nitrogen undergoes minaralization to form NH4 to NO2 and NO2 to NO3 takes place in the
aerobic layer. But in an anaerobic layer the absence of oxygen inhibits the activity of
the nitrosomnas microorganisms that oxidizes NH 4 and nitrogen mineralization stops at
the ammonical form the accumulation of NH4 on submerged soils take placed the NH4
diffuse aerobic volatilization and nitrification the NO 3 nitrogen in aerobic layer diffuses
into reduced zone undergoes denitrification to form N2.The availability of N decreases on
submerged conditions due to denitrification, volatilizations of ammonia, ammonium ions
fixation by clay minerals leaching and runoff NO3 and NH3.
 Flooded soil is a complex of an aqueous phase, a solid phase, an interchangeable
gaseous phase, and various flora and fauna. The main chemical changes brought about by
the flooding of soil have an impact on the supply of micronutrients; a decrease in redox
potential due to the depletion of molecular oxygen leads to reduced Fe and Mn, for
example. Soil submergence for 10 to 12 weeks increases Fe2+ and Mn2+ concentrations
in the soil solution, regardless of the soil type.The concentrations of Zn and Cu decrease
in lowland soils, and Zn deficiency is reported to be a widespread nutritional disorder of
wetland rice
What is leaching?

When the soil becomes saturated, it reaches a point where it will no longer hold
any more moisture. As the air spaces become filled with water and the water has no place
else to go, it gets pushed downwards out of the root zone taking the nutrients with it. This
is known as leaching. Leaching takes place at different rates in different soil types -
according to how much water they can hold. eg sandy soils hold less water than clay
soils. Thus, nutrients are less likely to leach from clay than from sandy soils.

Nitrogen (N)

There are several forms of nitrogen: ammonium, nitrate and nitrite. It is the
nitrate form that is easily leached from a saturated soil profile. Nitrate nitrogen comes
from manure, decaying plant material or fertilizers. Under saturated soil conditions,
losses of nitrogen can be substantial. Leaching will occur rapidly on coarse textured
sandy soils, but is a slower process on loam and clay soils due to slower water
movement.

Gaseous loss of nitrogen also occurs as a result of the activity of soil

microorganisms which reduce nitrate under saturated conditions. However, soil
microorganisms are not very effective at decomposing organic matter or crop residues
when the soil is saturated, slowing the release of nitrogen from this source.

Other forms of nitrogen, such as ammonium (NH4+), generally do not leach.

Unlike nitrate, the ammonium form does not leach because it is attached to the soil and
resists movement with water.

Phosphorus (P)

The availability of phosphorus to plants can be dramatically reduced under wet

soil conditions. Reduced microbial activity (and therefore P transformation in saturated
soils) reduces phosphorus release within the soil complex. In addition, the beneficial root
fungi (mycorrhizae - which most crops have an association with), which normally
enhance the absorption of phosphorus and other nutrients, are often reduced after flooded
conditions. This leads to limited plant access to phosphorus supplies due to the restricted
volume of soil being explored by the plant root system.

Potassium (K)

Considerable compaction can occur on wet soils, especially clays, as a result of

tillage or traffic. Wet ground is more prone to compaction, which also restricts plant root
growth and uptake of potassium. Otherwise flooding has little direct effect on
potassium availability although there may be minor leaching on sandy soils.

Indirectly, potassium (and phosphorus) may be less available in soils that remain
wet and cold in Spring. In addition, the role that potassium plays in helping crops to resist
plant disease can be negatively affected when saturated soil conditions limit crop uptake.
Sulphates (S)

Like nitrates, sulphates are very mobile and subject to leaching. As sulphates
come mainly from soil organic matter, their release is impacted by any physical factor
that restricts their breakdown by microbes. As flooding can kill off microbes, this can
affect the availability of sulphates, apart from leaching.

Calcium (Ca)

Plants rely on active water translocation for uptake of calcium. Any factor which
affects water uptake, such as flooded soils, will affect uptake of calcium. As calcium is a
critical requirement for crops like tomatoes, it is one of the first nutrients that may need
to be considered for replacement in affected crops.

Boron (B)

B is also easily leached out of the root zone in heavy rain/flood events. If the crop
is bearing fruit, especially crops like tomatoes, the fruit will either drop or will be low
quality if the plant has insufficient boron.
 WATER LOGGED SOIL
Meaning of water logged soil: Submerged soils are soils that are saturated with water for
a sufficient long time in a year. The soil is intermittently saturated with water, oxidation
of organic matter is slow and it accumulates in the "A" horizon. In the second horizon Fe
and Mn are deposited as rusty mantels or streaks if the diffusion is rapid they are
deposited as concretions. In submerged soils due to diffusion of oxygen in the water, the
organic form nitrogen undergoes minaralization to form NH4 to NO2 and NO2 to NO3
takes place in the aerobic layer. But in an anaerobic layer the absence of oxygen inhibits
the activity of the nitrosomnas microorganisms that oxidizes NH 4 and nitrogen
mineralization stops at the ammonical form the accumulation of NH4 on submerged soils
take placed the NH4 diffuse aerobic volatilization and nitrification the NO3 nitrogen in
aerobic layer diffuses into reduced zone undergoes denitrification to form N 2.The
availability of N decreases on submerged conditions due to denitrification, volatilizations
of ammonia, ammonium ions fixation by clay minerals leaching and runoff NO3 and NH3.
Different type of water logging in the field.
Riverine flood waterlogging: In the rainy season, flood may come to the nearby land
from the river having excess floodwater.Oceanic floodwater logging. Ocean water
spreads in the nearby land cause waterlogging.Seasonal water-logging. Ran off water
accumulates in the low lands and depression in the rainy season. Perennial water-
logging. Deep water, swamp etc, get rain water run off water and seepage water from
canal causing perennial water-logging.Sub soil water-logging. High water table in the
rainy season is normally ansuitable for root growth.

Factors affecting formation of water-logging

 Climatological factor: due to high rainfall water accumulates on the soil surface.
 Flood: Flood water is usually causing water-logged situation in the field .
 Seepage from canal: Ground water levels are cllloser to the surface due to
seepage from canal
 Land shape: Saucer-shaped land gets water from high-lands whichresults into
water-logging
 Uncontrolled and unwanted irrigation:excess irrigation may cause
accumalation of water on the soil surface
 Drainage:poor drainage system is responsible for water-logging in the field.

Firstly, nothing should be done whilst the ground is wet. It is best to wait for all the water
to drain away and for the soil to reach a consistency where you can roll it into a ball in
your hand and the ball falls open. If you try to dig or work the soil whilst it is wet, you
will damage its' structure. Working it wet results in the soil not being able to hold as
much oxygen and becoming compacted and therefore cloddy. It is hard for soil to recover
from this state.

Growers who have worked on creating a healthy mix by regularly adding compost,
manure or humic acid, however, will find that their soils recover better from flooding
events. Any form of organic matter will better withstand compaction from heavy rain and
will suffer less leaching - especially sandy soils - which will also not erode as quickly.

Where soil has been lost, it is recommended that organic matter be worked into the top
10cm once it is dry; within months, the topsoil will start to regain its' structure and health.
With the development of a healthy ground structure will come the development of new
soil microbes. They live off the carbon that is added through organic matter; these
microbes will then mineralise nutrients in the soil and help to make them available to
your plants. They also kill off pathogenic organisms in the soil that will cause disease
thus helping your plants to stay healthy.

Organic matter also holds onto oxygen and other nutrients in the soil and makes these
nutrients and oxygen available for crops to absorb. The extra oxygen that can be held in
the soil by organic matter also helps to oxygenate the soil - necessary for plant health
because plants cannot absorb nutrients without a certain level of oxygen in the soil. When
oxygen levels are low, conditions are created for some pathogenic organisms to thrive
and they will infect crops which are under stress because of the low levels of oxygen and
other nutrients.

Calcium/boron

Once a plant's water conducting mechanism stops working due to waterlogging, the
nutrient that is most affected is calcium. Boron is also easily leached out of the root zone
in heavy rain/flood events. If the crop is bearing fruit, especially crops like tomatoes, the
fruit will either drop or will be low quality if the plant has insufficient boron.

Management: If a lot of rain is expected, then we suggest you apply calcium and
boron into the root zone several days before the rain or cloudy weather occurs. After
the rain, when it is too wet to apply water or nutrients to the roots, foliar applications of
calcium and boron will help prevent the crop aborting its fruit. It will also help prevent
syndromes such as blossom end rot of tomatoes.

Nitrogen/Nitrates (N)

As nitrates are easily leached by rain, it is important to top up nitrates as soon as the soil
is sufficiently dry after a rain event.

Management: Alternatively, if heavy rain is forecast, you could apply the ammonium
form of nitrogen before the rain sets in. This is less likely to leach than nitrate, however
bear in mind that ammonium forms of nitrogen may increase soil acidity.

Phosphates (P)

Phosphates don't hold onto the soil structure well and are fairly easily leached.

Management: Newly planted crops need phosphate, so the best solution is to use a liquid
form of phosphorus. There's no point applying a single super phosphate or any other form
of phosphate powder as they are not mobile in the soil profile and will not get into the
root zone of the crop.
Potassium (K)

Potassium is very important for crops at the fruiting stage and leach out easily on
waterlogging.

Management: There are several liquid forms available and are best applied as foliar
sprays until such time as the soil has dried out and it's viable to recommence watering
into the root zone again.

Sulphates (S)/ Zn

Like phosphates, Sulphates and Zincs are easily leached.

Management: There are many liquid sulphate-based fertilisers on the market which can
be used as a foliar to start, and later watered into the root zone. The ideal sulphate-based
product to apply after heavy rain is zinc sulphate, because zinc is also lost during
floods/rains.

The next article in this series will deal with amending nutrition in flood affected soils and
crops.

Lucia Grimmer is the main author of best selling books How to Grow Juicy Tasty
Tomatoes and How to Grow Great Potatoes.

These books are considered to be the authoritative "bibles" on growing tomatoes and
growing potatoes and have sold to thousands of enthusiastic vegetable gardeners in more
than 82 countries

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5901470

Worldwide, nitrogen is considered the most limiting nutrient for rice production;
therefore, increased nitrogen availability should translate into yield increases. However,
in spite of extensive research and advances in fertilizer management, rice grown in the
lowlands generally utilizes less than 40% of applied N, and often as little as 20-30%
(Vlek and Craswell, 1979; Schneiders and Scherer, 1998; Kronzucker et al., 1999). The
main N losses occur from leaching and denitrification as well as volatilization of NH3
from the floodwaters after it diffuses from the soil-water interface.
Nitrogen, usually found as ammonium in anaerobic lowland soils, occurs more generally
as nitrate (NO3) in aerobic upland soils. Ammonium ought to be more beneficial as a
source of N because metabolizing NH4 + requires less energy than does NO3. It has been
thought, however, that at optimum pH, nitrate is equally as effective as ammonia as a
source of nitrogen for rice (Tanaka et al., 1984). Recent research has found that, actually,
N in nitrate form produces 40 to 70% more yield than an equal amount of N as ammonia,
with a combination of NH4 + and NO3 - leading to better yields than provision of either
form of N by itself (Kronzucker et al., 1999). SRI methods as discussed below, by
repeatedly wetting and drying the soil, would provide N in both forms.

Under aerobic conditions there is a higher rate of N mineralization in the rhizosphere of

rice plants compared with under anaerobic conditions. This may be because under aerobic
conditions, rice plants may secrete certain enzymes such as protease and/or of organic
materials that promote the activity of microorganisms.
Even when a rice crop is fertilized, it obtains the majority of its N requirement (60-80%)
from the organic N pool of the soil (Broadbent, 1979). For best plant performance, it is
therefore essential not only to optimize mineral N nutrition, but also to achieve integrated
N management that makes the best use of all available N sources, both organic and
inorganic. The natural nitrogen supply for plants and microorganisms results principally
from the mineralization of organic N compounds. This process occurs in two steps:
ammonification and nitrification (Runge, 1983; Das et al., 1997). When thinking about N
nutrition for rice plants, we must keep in mind that less than 1% of the total soil N is in
inorganic form readily available for plant uptake (Das et al., 1997). The mineralization of
N in the field is often offset or neutralized by microbial immobilization. The microbial
biomass is an important repository of plant nutrients that is more labile than the bulk of
soil organic matter. It can contribute substantial amounts of nutrients, and not only N, to
the plant and soil when those nutrients are made available for plant use. Soil microbial
biomass is a sensitive indicator of changes in the quality and quantity of soil organic
matter (SOM). It responds more rapidly than does SOM to changes in organic inputs to
the soil or to changes in soil management (Gijsman et al., 1997).

Birch (1958) reported a flush of N mineralization that occurs after the rewetting of dry
soil. This intensive pathway of N mineralization which subsequently increases N
availability has become known as 'the Birch effect,' though not much attention has been
paid to it for lowland rice. Several factors may contribute to the N flush that follows the
rewetting of dry soil. A significant proportion of the soil microorganisms can die during
drying and rewetting; the mineralization of dead microbial cells by the remaining
microflora can cause part of the observed N flush (Marumoto et al., 1977; Cabrera, 1993;
Das et al., 1997). The youthful state of the microbial population that develops after
rewetting can also be responsible for part of the enhanced N mineralization (Birch, 1958;
Soulides and Allison, 1961; Cabrera, 1993).
Flooded rice soil is a complex of an aqueous phase, a solid phase, an interchangeable
gaseous phase, and various flora and fauna. The main chemical changes brought about by
the flooding of soil have an impact on the supply of micronutrients; a decrease in redox
potential due to the depletion of molecular oxygen leads to reduced Fe and Mn, for
example. Soil submergence for 10 to 12 weeks increases Fe2+ and Mn2+ concentrations
in the soil solution, regardless of the soil type (Savithri et al., 1999). The concentrations
of Zn and Cu decrease in lowland soils, and Zn deficiency is reported to be a widespread
nutritional disorder of wetland rice (Neue and Lantin, 1994; Savithri et al., 1999).
There could be, of course, other processes and mechanisms involved.
• Biological N fixation (BNF) in the roots and rhizosphere of rice could be contributing to
the increased yield (Döbereiner, 1987; Boddy et al., 1995). There is evidence that BNF is
increase by the mixing of aerobic and anaerobic soil horizons (Magdoff and Bouldin,
1970).
• There is also evidence that P solubilization and availability are increased by alternate
wetting and drying of soil (Turner and Haygarth, 2001).
• Mycorrhizal associations may also be contributing to plant nutrition with SRI practices
as these symbiotic fungi, which require aerobic soil conditions, can greatly increases the
volume of soil from which plant roots can acquire nutrients (Sieverding, 1991; Pinton et
al., 2000).
• Recent research has shown the Rhizobia in the rhizosphere of rice increase both yield
and protein ha-1, however, not through BNF, as which these bacteria accomplish in
legumes, but through increases in the production of auxin and other growth-promoting
substances (Yanni et al., 2001).
• It is also known that the roots of rice plants growing in continuously saturated soil
remain shallow in the soil (3/4 remain in the top6 cm according to Kirk and Solivas,
1997) and under hypoxic conditions they deteriorate. By the time of flowering, a majority
have degenerated, 78% in the particular experiment reported by Kar et al. (1974). This
physiological process presumably has some limiting effect on rice plant performance.
This means that there are a number of possible explanations, into addition to soil N
availability processes, that warrant evaluation for understanding the effects of SRI
methods (Uphoff, 2003).

During the rice growing season, wetting and drying cycles influence the reaggregation of
soils (Bakti et al. 1998) which is beneficial for growing upland crops after rice harvest.
Greenland (1981) reported that in wetland rice, continuous flooding and rice cropping
cause a breakdown of water stable aggregates resulting in the deflocculation of the soil.
When puddled soils are drained soil aggregates reform. This is beneficial for the
improvement of aeration and the preservation of soil structure (van de Goor 1974). In
studying the aggregation of allophane soils, Kubota (1972) found that drying after
flooding resulted in aggregation of silt and clay particles, and that drying was the main
factor responsible in these soils. Whereas, White (1966) found that cracks in some soils,
which develop during drying, will produce the initial faces of soil aggregates and when
soil drying is rapid it is not uniform, leading to unequal stresses and strains resulting in
aggregate formation. According to van de Graaff (1978), during rapid drying the stresses
developed produce smaller ped than those developed during slow drying, leading to
smaller aggregates. Sanchez (1973) suggested that puddled soil must be dried slowly to
increase structural aggregation. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of
degree of drying or partial drying on structure regeneration of puddled soil.

Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity i.e. Ksat decreased rapidly when the soil was puddled
with only 50 - 100 Joule energy input. When the soil is puddled with greater energy (100
to 200 Joule) however, the additional reduction in Ksat was small. A large reduction in
Ksat of the puddled soil was due to the disaggregation induced by puddling. The greater
the soil dispersion, the lower is the saturated hydraulic conductivity (Figure 3).
Wetting/drying cycles are known to improve soil structure. Results clearly showed
reduction in the amount of silt+clay (<20 µm) and clay (<2 µm) dispersed during
wetting/drying cycles in clay (GC_G) and sandy loam (LO_G) soil respectively.
Repeated wetting/drying cycles to air dry water contents increased Ksat of the puddle soil
significantly in the fine textured soil but had little effect on the sandy soil (Figure 4).
However, in fine textured soil (GC_G) the recovery of Ksat was not significant

Drying the puddled soil to its air dry water content is very effective in the process of
structural regeneration. This study also showed that partial drying will result in lower
levels of structural regeneration of puddled soil and may possibly require greater
frequency of drying to fully regenerate the soil.
 MANAGEMENT OF WATER -LOGGED SOILS

 Levelling of land: Leveling of land in many wetlands removes water by run off.
 Drainage: Drainage removes excess water from the root zone thet is hamful for
plant growth. Land can be drained by suaface drainage, sub-surface drainage and
drainage well methos.
 Controlled irrigation: Excess use of water in the irrigation results in water-
loggd area
 To check the seepage in the canals and irrigation channaels:Due to seepage,
land becomes water-logging
 Flood control measures: Construction of bunds may check wate flow from the
rivers to the cultivable lands.
 Plantation of tree having high transpiration rate:Transpiration rate in certain
tree like Eucalyptus, acacia, zyzyphus is very high.In transpiration process the
underground water is consumed by trees, thus, lowering the ground water table.
 Selection of crops and their proper varieties: Certain crops like rice
waternut,jute and sesbania can tolerate water-logging upto same extent. In rice crop
submergence tolerance varies from one variety to another. Generally, lowland and
deepwater varieties.

Submergence tolerant crops and their varieties

S.NO Situation of water-Crop Variety
logging

1 Deep water Rice BR14

Janki, sudha
Jalmangna

2 Shallow water Waternut,rice Pankaj,

Radha,Vaidehi,Janki
Rajshree
BR13,Janki
Flood(water-logging Rice
for short period) FR13A
3
 Water table near the
surface and
4 sometimes water-Rice Mahsuri, jaishree
logging Sita, kanak, Sujata,

Nutrient management in water-logged soils: low N fertility is an important contraint in

the water-logged area the predominant from of inorganic N in lowland soils is NH4 .
The following concept may increase N-use efficiency in lowland rice
1. Deep placement
2. Slow and controlled release fertilizers
3. Use of nitrification and ureas inhibitors

Ref.
1. Different sources