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[This article belongs to Volume - 57, Issue - 08]

Abstract : Adding organic amendments to soil is an effective management strategy to improve the biological and chemical properties of saline soils. This work aims to (i) evaluate the restorative effects of manure, green fertilizer, and straw on the neutralization of salinity and alkalinity in the saline soil located in the Northeastern Algerian plain, and (ii) provide a comprehensive understanding of how different amendments affect Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) stock, mineralization processes, and microbial activity in saline conditions. To achieve these objectives, five treatments were utilized: saline soil without treatment (control), saline soil amended with manure, saline soil amended with straw, saline soil amended with green fertilizer, and non-saline soil used as a reference. The dynamics of organic amendment’s mineralization in soil were studied using a respirometry technique (incubation) over a short period of 39 days. This technique measured the CO₂ produced by microbial activity at different time points. Additionally, various analyses were conducted at the beginning and end of the incubation period, including pH measurement, electrical conductivity (ECe), Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) stock, and total microflora. The results show that more asphyxiating saline conditions hindered the mineralization process of organic matter and reduced microbial populations in the soil. Adding organic amendments decreases pH and neutralizes salinity, increases SOC stock, biological activities, and mineralization processes. However, the effects of organic amendments varied. Manure was the most effective in reducing soil ECe from 27.15 to 22.5 dS m⁻¹ and pH from 8.5 to 8. The effects of manure manifested also through high biological activity and CO₂ production compared to other treatments, which recorded 1.82 mg CO₂ g⁻¹ soil. The superiority of manure in decreasing soil salinity is due to its abundance of labile soluble organic carbon and high content of nitrogen, calcium, and magnesium, which displace sodium from the soil and reduce the osmosis effect. Nevertheless, the green fertilizer-amended soil treatment showed a small increase in electrical conductivity, likely due to the release of electrolytic elements by the green fertilizer. Additionally, this investigation highlights the favorable influence of manure, straw, and green fertilizer on improving SOC stock. However, the addition of straw resulted in the highest SOC stock (101.5 tC ha⁻¹) due to its high C/N ratio and richness in cellulose compounds that are difficult to biodegrade.