Abstract
A field experiment was conducted to study the performance of six cotton varieties/lines (NIAB-98, SLH-257, VH142, NIBGE, MNH-236 and FH-901) in ameliorated (with H2S04 and gypsum) and non-ameliorated soils. A saline sodic soil having ECa 3.8 to 5.4 dsrn", pHs 9.00 to 9.20, SAR 33.00 to 36.00 (m mol r 1 )1/2 and G.R. 2.50 to 3.00 t. acre' was selected. The field was divided into three equal parts. One part was ameliorated with gypsum (100% GR), second with H2S04 (50% equivalent of GR.) and third part kept untreated (control) and all the six varieties/lines of cotton were sown in ameliorated and non-ameliorated plots. The results indicated that germination percentage, plant population, number of bolls and yield of seed cotton were significantly higher in ameliorated soil than non-ameliorated. Performance of NIAB-98 was the best in terms of yield and yield components like germination percentage, number of plants (sustained) and number of bolls per plant. Yield of this variety, however, was comparable statistically with FH-901, VH-142 and SLH-257. All these varieties remained statistically superior to MNH-236. Moreover, soil health improved due to application of gypsum and Sulphuric acid. Key words: Amelioration, gypsum, sulphuric acid, cotton and saline sodic soil.
