enhancing soil physico-chemical properties by using zeolite

zeolites are the crystaline aluminoslicates with 4 connected tetrahedral framework structure having the cavities occupied by large ions and water moleculed both of which have cosiderable freedom of movement related to ion exchange and reversible dehydration. Zeolites are hydrated aluminosilicate minerals made from interlinked tetrahedra of alumina
(AlO4) and silica (SiO4). In simpler words, they're solids with a relatively open, three-dimensional
crystal structure built from the elements aluminum, oxygen and silicon, with alkali or alkaline
Earth metals (such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium) plus water molecules trapped in the
gaps between them. Zeolites form with many different crystalline structures, which have large
open pores (sometimes referred to as cavities) in a very regular arrangement and roughly the same
size as small molecules.
There are about 40 naturally occurring zeolites, forming in both volcanic and sedimentary
rocks; according to the US Geological Survey, the most commonly mined forms
include chabazite, clinoptilolite, and mordenite. Dozens more artificial, synthetic zeolites (around
150) have been designed for specific purposes, the best known of which are zeolite A (commonly
used as a laundry detergent), zeolites X and Y (two different types of faujasites, used for catalytic
cracking), and the petroleum catalyst ZSM-5 (a branded name for pentasil-zeolite)..Special properties of zeolites
• Relatively high melting points (over 1000°C)
• Resist high pressures
• Don't dissolve in water or other inorganic solvents
• Don't oxidize in the air
• No harmful environmental impacts
• Catalysts in drug (pharmaceutical) production and in the petrochemical industry
• Open, cage-like, "framework" structure and the way it can trap other molecules inside it. Classification of zeolites
More than 50 different species of this mineral group have been identified and still more to be
identified. Zeolites have been classified on the basis of their morphological characteristics, crystal structure, chemical composition, effective pore diameter, natural occurrence, etc. In the year 1997,
the subcommittee on zeolites of the International Mineralogical Association Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names has recommended nomenclature for zeolite minerals. The report suggested that zeolite species are not to be distinguished solely on the ratio of Si to Al, except for heulandite (Si:Al 4:0) and clinoptilolite (Si:Al 4:0). The Si/Al ratio is an important characteristic of zeolites. The charge imbalance due to the presence of aluminum in the zeolite framework determines the ion-exchange characters of zeolites and is expected to induce potential acidic sites. The Si/Al ratio is inversely proportional to the cation content, however directly proportional to the thermal stability. The surface selectivity changes from hydrophilic to hydrophobic when the ratio increases. Silica molecular sieves (silicalite-1)
have a neutral framew

1. 1 University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad Presented by: Parvathi M V PGS22AGR9057 Department of Soil Science

2. Enhancing soil physico -chemical properties by using zeolites 2

3. CONTENTS

4. ZEOLITES ʻʻZeolite is a crystalline aluminosilicate with a 4-connected tetrahedral framework structure enclosing cavities occupied by large ions and water molecules both of which have considerable freedom of movement permitting ion exchange and reversible dehydration.’’ 4

5. The zeolite formula is often given as follows: M 2 n [AlO 2 ] x .(SiO 2 ) y .mH 2 O M = Any one metal that could be magnesium, sodium, potassium, lithium or calcium. n = Valence of the metal cation. m = Number of water molecules in the structure of the zeolite. y/x = Atomic Si/Al ratio Chemical Composition of Zeolites

6. Origin And History of Zeolites Source : Chris Woodford , 2019 6

7. 7

8. Structure of Zeolite + + = 8

9. Composition of Zeolites Source: Raggiotti , 2015 Chemical composition (%) SiO 2 64.9 Al 2 O 3 12.4 MgO 0.8 CaO 0.6 Na 2 O 5.9 K 2 O 1.9 H 2 O 13.5 Total 100.0

10. What special properties do zeolites have? Source : Chris Woodford , 2019

11. Zeolites vs Clay minerals Zeolite Aluminosilicates Molecules are connected in a frame structure that is characterized by spaces or pores 3D crystalline structure (Honey comb) consisting of network of interconnected tunnels and cages Framework remains rigid Clay minerals Aluminosilicates Molecules bond together in a fashion that creates loosely connected plates Layered crystalline structure ( deck of cards) Structure is not rigid

12. 12 Zeolite Minerals

13. 13

14. Physical characteristics of some naturally occurring zeolites 47 4.54 Moderate Low 1.15 Source: Raggiotti , 2015

15. Classification of Zeolites

16. Unique properties of zeolite

17. Fig 1: Imapct of zeolite on runoff and leaching

18. Fig 2: Impact of zeolites on soil water content

19. 20

20. CASE STUDY: 01

21. 22 Location: STCRC Research Farm, Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Mahatma Phule Krishi Vidyapeeth, Rahuri , District Ahmednagar Year: 2017-19 Soil: Medium deep black Crop: Pre-Seasonal Sugarcane Design: Randomized Block design Ten treatments Four replications Finely ground zeolite powder from Rudra Zeochem Pvt. Ltd. in Nashik Materials and Method

22. 23 Sr. No. Treatment T 1 Absolute control T 2 RDF (340:170:170 N:P 2 O 5 : K 2 O + 20 t FYM ha - 1 ) T 3 RDF + Zeolite @ 300 kg ha - 1 T 4 RDF + Zeolite @ 600 kg ha - 1 T 5 RDF + Zeolite @ 900 kg ha - 1 T 6 RDF + Zeolite @ 1200 kg ha - 1 T 7 RDF + Zeolite @ 1500 kg ha - 1 T 8 RDF + Zeolite @ 1800 kg ha - 1 T 9 RDF + Zeolite @ 2100 kg ha - 1 T 10 RDF + Zeolite @ 2400 kg ha - 1 Treatment details:

23. 24 Results and Discussion

24. 25   Tr. No.   Treatment Soil properties pH (1:2.5) EC ( dS m - 1 ) Grand growth stage After harvest Grand growth stage After harvest T 1 Absolute control 8.12 7.89 0.36 0.23 T 2 RDF (340:170:170 kg ha -1 N:P 2 O 5 : K 2 O + 20 t FYM ha - 1 ) 8.14 7.99 0.42 0.27 T 3 RDF + Zeolite @ 300 kg ha - 1 8.20 7.92 0.43 0.28 T 4 RDF + Zeolite @ 600 kg ha - 1 8.23 7.99 0.45 0.28 T 5 RDF + Zeolite @ 900 kg ha - 1 8.27 8.09 0.51 0.30 T 6 RDF + Zeolite @ 1200 kg ha - 1 8.28 8.24 0.51 0.31 T 7 RDF + Zeolite @ 1500 kg ha - 1 8.30 8.29 0.52 0.31 T 8 RDF + Zeolite @ 1800 kg ha - 1 8.36 8.34 0.52 0.32 T 9 RDF + Zeolite @ 2100 kg ha - 1 8.39 8.36 0.54 0.32 T 10 RDF + Zeolite @ 2400 kg ha - 1 8.48 8.38 0.58 0.33 SEm (±) 0.06 0.10 0.03 0.02 CD at 5% 0.17 0.29 0.07 0.05 Initial 8.16 0.24 Table 2: Effect of zeolite on pH and electrical conductivity in pre-seasonal sugarcane grown on Inceptisol

25. 26   Tr. No.   Treatment Soil properties Organic carbon (%) CaCO 3 (%) Grand growth stage After harvest Grand growth stage After harvest T 1 Absolute control 0.68 0.62 5.90 5.80 T 2 RDF (340:170:170 kg ha -1 N:P 2 O 5 : K 2 O + 20 t FYM ha - 1 ) 0.70 0.65 6.10 5.90 T 3 RDF + Zeolite @ 300 kg ha - 1 0.70 0.65 6.30 6.10 T 4 RDF + Zeolite @ 600 kg ha - 1 0.71 0.67 6.38 6.14 T 5 RDF + Zeolite @ 900 kg ha - 1 0.72 0.67 6.42 6.31 T 6 RDF + Zeolite @ 1200 kg ha - 1 0.73 0.68 6.49 6.40 T 7 RDF + Zeolite @ 1500 kg ha - 1 0.74 0.68 6.53 6.50 T 8 RDF + Zeolite @ 1800 kg ha - 1 0.74 0.69 6.60 6.70 T 9 RDF + Zeolite @ 2100 kg ha - 1 0.76 0.69 6.70 6.70 T 10 RDF + Zeolite @ 2400 kg ha - 1 0.78 0.72 6.91 6.80 SEm (±) 0.02 0.01 0.18 0.22 CD at 5% 0.05 0.04 0.51 0.65 Initial 0.58 6.2 Table 3: Effect of zeolite on organic carbon and calcium carbonate in pre-seasonal sugarcane grown on Inceptisol

26. 27   Tr. No.   Treatment Soil properties CEC [c mol(p + ) kg - 1 ] AWC (%) Grand growth stage After harvest Grand growth stage After harvest T 1 Absolute control 56.82 54.82 22.10 22.02 T 2 RDF (340:170:170 kg ha -1 N:P 2 O 5 : K 2 O + 20 t FYM ha - 1 ) 62.28 61.12 22.13 22.12 T 3 RDF + Zeolite @ 300 kg ha - 1 63.44 62.52 22.24 22.22 T 4 RDF + Zeolite @ 600 kg ha - 1 64.37 63.10 22.29 22.27 T 5 RDF + Zeolite @ 900 kg ha - 1 65.34 63.94 22.30 22.29 T 6 RDF + Zeolite @ 1200 kg ha - 1 68.39 64.24 22.34 22.32 T 7 RDF + Zeolite @ 1500 kg ha - 1 72.12 67.48 22.36 22.37 T 8 RDF + Zeolite @ 1800 kg ha - 1 71.38 69.22 22.38 22.38 T 9 RDF + Zeolite @ 2100 kg ha - 1 72.34 71.24 23.04 23.01 T 10 RDF + Zeolite @ 2400 kg ha - 1 73.17 72.80 23.15 23.10 SEm (±) 3.32 3.46 0.27 0.24 CD at 5% 9.69 0.09 0.79 0.71 Initial 56 22.00 Table 4: Effect of zeolite on cation exchange capacity and available water content in pre-seasonal sugarcane grown on Inceptisol

27.   Tr. No.   Treatment Soil properties Bulk density (Mg m - 3 ) Grand growth stage After harvest T 1 Absolute control 1.34 1.35 T 2 RDF (340:170:170 kg ha -1 N:P 2 O 5 : K 2 O + 20 t FYM ha - 1 ) 1.32 1.33 T 3 RDF + Zeolite @ 300 kg ha - 1 1.32 1.32 T 4 RDF + Zeolite @ 600 kg ha - 1 1.31 1.32 T 5 RDF + Zeolite @ 900 kg ha - 1 1.31 1.32 T 6 RDF + Zeolite @ 1200 kg ha - 1 1.31 1.33 T 7 RDF + Zeolite @ 1500 kg ha - 1 1.29 1.33 T 8 RDF + Zeolite @ 1800 kg ha - 1 1.28 1.32 T 9 RDF + Zeolite @ 2100 kg ha - 1 1.28 1.29 T 10 RDF + Zeolite @ 2400 kg ha - 1 1.26 1.27 SEm (±) 0.02 0.01 CD at 5% 0.05 0.03 Initial 1.35 Table 5: Effect of zeolite on bulk density in pre-seasonal sugarcane grown on Inceptisol

28. CASE STUDY: 02 29 Ravali et al., 2020

29. Location: Telangana State Agricultural University, College of Agriculture, Rajendranagar , Ranga Reddy dist., Telangana (2018-19) The red soil required for the experiment was collected from B-Block of Student farm, College of Agriculture, Rajendranagar . The 2 mm sieved soil was mixed with Zeolite as per the treatments and after mixing of zeolite, the pot is filled with soil @ 8 kg pot -1 Crop : M aize (DHM 117). Design: Factorial Completely Randomized Design Factor 1 4 zeolite levels (0, 8.93, 17.26, 26.79 g pot -1 ) Factor 2 3 nitrogen levels ( 357.14, 535.71, 714.28 mg pot -1 ) Replications: 3 Material and methods

30. Treatments Particulars Abbreviated as T 1 No Nitrogen and No Zeolite N Z T 2 Nitrogen @100 kg ha -1 + No Zeolite N 100 Z T 3 Nitrogen @100 kg ha -1 + Zeolite @ 2.5 t ha -1 N 100 Z 2.5 T 4 Nitrogen @100 kg ha -1 + Zeolite @ 5 t ha -1 N 100 Z 5 T 5 Nitrogen @100 kg ha -1 + Zeolite @ 7.5 t ha -1 N 100 Z 7.5 T 6 Nitrogen @150 kg ha -1 + No Zeolite N 150 Z T 7 Nitrogen @150 kg ha -1 + Zeolite @ 2.5 t ha -1 N 150 Z 2.5 T 8 Nitrogen @150 kg ha -1 + Zeolite @ 5 t ha -1 N 150 Z 5 T 9 Nitrogen @150 kg ha -1 + Zeolite @ 7.5 t ha -1 N 150 Z 7.5 T 10 Nitrogen @ 200 kg ha - 1+ No Zeolite N 200 Z T 11 Nitrogen @200 kg ha -1 + Zeolite @ 2.5 t ha -1 N 200 Z 2.5 T 12 Nitrogen @200 kg ha -1 + Zeolite @ 5 t ha -1 N 200 Z 5 T 13 Nitrogen @200 kg ha -1 + Zeolite @ 7.5 t ha -1 N 200 Z 7.5 Treatment details: Note :(100, 150, 200 kg N ha-1 i.e., 357.14, 535.71, 714.28 mg pot -1 respectively) and 4 levels of Zeolite (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5 t ha-1 i.e ., 0, 8.93, 17.26, 26.79 g pot -1 respectively) Recommended dose of P and K were applied 24.29 - 24.29 mg pot -1 uniformly to all the treatments.

31. S.No . Property Values 1 Soil type Red soil 2 Sand(%) 87.36 3 Silt (%) 4.40 4 Clay (%) 8.24 5 Soil Texture Loamy sand 6 pH 7.08 7 EC ( dSm -1 ) 0.45 8 Organic Carbon (%) 0.57 9 Available N ( Kg ha -1 ) 177.00 10 Available P ( Kg ha -1 ) 15.48 11 Available K ( Kg ha -1 ) 380.66 12 CEC ( C mol (p + ) kg -1 ) 13.02 13 Bulk Density (g cc -1 ) 1.18 14 Water Holding Capacity (%) 28.00 Table 1: Properties of the experimental soil at the initiation of the experiment (before kharif 2018 -19)

32. 33 Results and Discussion

33. 34 Levels pH Z Z 2.5 Z 5 Z 7.5 Mean (N) N 100 7.06 7.49 7.72 8.12 7.56 N 150 7.04 7.44 7.72 8.11 7.58 N 200 7.05 7.45 7.73 8.13 7.59 Mean (Z) 7.05 7.46 7.72 8.12 S.Em . (±) CD (p=0.05) N 0.01 NS Z 0.01 0.02 N X Z 0.01 NS Initial 7.08 Table 2: Effect of different levels of nitrogen (kg ha -1 ) and zeolite (t ha -1 ) application on soil pH * Control (No nitrogen, no zeolite) – 7.09

34. 35 Levels EC (dsm -1 ) Z Z 2.5 Z 5 Z 7.5 Mean (N) N 100 0.78 0.81 0.83 0.86 0.82 N 150 0.77 0.80 0.82 0.87 0.82 N 200 0.77 0.80 0.83 0.86 0.82 Mean (Z) 0.77 0.80 0.83 0.87 S.Em . (±) CD (p=0.05) N 0.002 NS Z 0.002 0.01 N X Z 0.004 NS Initial 0.45 Table 3: Effect of different levels of nitrogen (kg ha -1 ) and zeolite (t ha -1 ) application on Electrical Conductivity of soil (dSm -1 ) * Control (No nitrogen, no zeolite) – 0.75 dSm -1

35. Figure 1: Effect of different levels of nitrogen (kg ha -1 ) and zeolite (t ha -1 ) application on Cation Exchange Capacity of soil (c smol (p + ) kg -1 ) 36

36. 37 Levels BD (Mg m -3 ) Z Z 2.5 Z 5 Z 7.5 Mean (N) N 100 1.16 1.10 1.00 0.99 1.06 N 150 1.14 1.11 1.00 0.99 1.06 N 200 1.15 1.13 0.98 0.97 1.06 Mean (Z) 1.15 1.11 0.99 0.98 S.Em . (±) CD (p=0.05) N 0.01 NS Z 0.02 0.05 N X Z 0.03 NS Initial 1.18 Table 4: Effect of different levels of nitrogen (kg ha -1 ) and zeolite (t ha -1 ) application on bulk density of soil (Mg m -3 ) * Control (No nitrogen, no zeolite) – 1.18 Mg m -3

37. Figure 2: Effect of different levels of nitrogen (kg ha -1 ) and zeolite (t ha -1 ) application on water holding capacity (%) of soil 38

38. CASE STUDY: 03 Effects of Natural Zeolite Mineral on Chemical Properties of Saline Soil

39. Material and methods Location: This experiment was conducted in the Gorgan University, faculty of agriculture and natural resources of Gorgan , on 2018-2019 Soil type: sandy loam Depth range of 30 cm Zeolite as powder from Sia Zagh Saman in three level (0, 10 and 20%) with combination of saline soil, and the combination of treatments of mixed into each single part and after ten days chemical parameters of soil was studied.

40. Treatment details

41. 42 Results and Discussion

42. Fig 1: Effects of different percentage of zeolite treatments on Soil pH

43. Fig 2: Effects of different percentage of zeolite treatments on Soil EC

44. Fig 4: Effects of different percentage of zeolite treatments on Soil Cation Exchange Capacity

45. Case study 4

46. The experiment was conducted during summer 2018-19 at PGI Research Farm, Department of Soil Science and Agril . Chemistry, M.P.K.V., Rahuri . The experimental field soils was medium deep black belonging to Inceptisol order. Design: RBD with 12 treatments and 3 replications. The recommended spacing of 30 cm x 10 cm was adopted for dibbling of green gram. The general recommended dose of nutrients (20:40:00 kg ha -1 N, P 2 O 5 and K 2 O, respectively + FYM @ 5t ha -1 ) were given to green gram as per treatment details except control treatment at the time of dibbling of green gram .. Materials and Methods

47. Parameters Value pH Alkaline (pH 8.10) Electrical conductivity 0.33 dS m -1 Organic carbon 0.54% CaCO 3 6.58% Bulk density 1.38 g/cm 3 CEC 42.08 c mol (p+) kg -1 Available nitrogen 175.6 kg ha -1 Available phosphorus 18.09 kg ha -1 Available potassium 477 kg ha -1 Available Fe 3.94 mg kg -1 Available Zn 0.37 mg kg -1 Available Mn 5.73 mg kg -1 Available Cu 1.5 mg kg -1 Chemical properties of experimental soil

48. 49 Treatment number Treatment T 1 Absolute control T 2 GRDF (20:40:00 kg ha -1 N:P 2 O 5 : K 2 O + FYM @ 5 t ha -1 ) T 3 T 2 + Zeolite @ 20 kg ha -1 T 4 T 2 + Zeolite @ 40 kg ha -1 T 5 T 2 + Zeolite @ 60 kg ha -1 T 6 T 2 + Zeolite @ 80 kg ha -1 T 7 T 2 + Zeolite @ 100 kg ha -1 T 8 Zeolite @ 20 kg ha -1 T 9 Zeolite @ 40 kg ha -1 T 10 Zeolite @ 60 kg ha -1 T 11 Zeolite @ 80 kg ha -1 T 12 Zeolite @ 100 kg ha -1 Treatment details

49. Results and discussion

50. Tr. No. Treatment pH (1:2.5) EC (dSm -1 ) CEC c mol (p+) kg -1 of soil T 1 Absolute control 8.07 0.26 42.37 T 2 GRDF (20:40:00 kg ha -1 N:P 2 O 5 : K 2 O + FYM@ 5 t ha -1 ) 8.10 0.28 47.40 T 3 T 2 + Zeolite @ 20 kg ha -1 8.12 0.31 48.10 T 4 T 2 + Zeolite @ 40 kg ha -1 8.12 0.33 48.73 T 5 T 2 + Zeolite @ 60 kg ha -1 8.12 0.35 51.30 T 6 T 2 + Zeolite @ 80 kg ha -1 8.13 0.36 52.60 T 7 T 2 + Zeolite @ 100 kg ha -1 8.09 0.34 51.77 T 8 Zeolite @ 20 kg ha -1 8.10 0.28 42.53 T 9 Zeolite @ 40 kg ha -1 8.10 0.29 43.67 T 10 Zeolite @ 60 kg ha -1 8.07 0.31 44.24 T 11 Zeolite @ 80 kg ha -1 8.12 0.34 45.43 T 12 Zeolite @ 100 kg ha -1 8.10 0.32 44.49   SE (±) 0.017 0.007 0.09   CD at 5% NS 0.22 0.28   Initial status 8.10 0.33 33.09 Table 1: Effect of zeolite application on soil properties after harvest of green gram

51. Tr. No. Treatment OC (%) CaCO 3 (%) BD (gm/cm 3 ) T 1 Absolute control 0.46 6.12 1.37 T 2 GRDF (20:40:00 kg ha -1 N:P 2 O 5 : K 2 O + FYM@ 5 t ha -1 ) 0.52 6.31 1.38 T 3 T 2 + Zeolite @ 20 kg ha -1 0.57 6.53 1.36 T 4 T 2 + Zeolite @ 40 kg ha -1 0.62 6.54 1.35 T 5 T 2 + Zeolite @ 60 kg ha -1 0.67 6.79 1.37 T 6 T 2 + Zeolite @ 80 kg ha -1 0.69 6.92 1.35 T 7 T 2 + Zeolite @ 100 kg ha -1 0.66 6.61 1.36 T 8 Zeolite @ 20 kg ha -1 0.44 5.89 1.35 T 9 Zeolite @ 40 kg ha -1 0.50 6.07 1.34 T 10 Zeolite @ 60 kg ha -1 0.53 6.18 1.35 T 11 Zeolite @ 80 kg ha -1 0.59 6.37 1.31 T 12 Zeolite @ 100 kg ha -1 0.55 6.28 1.33   SE (±) 0.012 0.03 0.003   CD at 5% 0.03 0.09 NS   Initial status 0.54 6.58 1.38 Table 2 : Effect of zeolite application on soil properties after harvest of green gram

52. Tr. No. Treatment Total nutrient uptake (kg ha -1 ) N P   T 1 Absolute control 21.31 6.31   T 2 GRDF (20:40:00 kg ha -1 N:P 2 O 5 :K 2 O + FYM @ 5 t ha -1 ) 42.23 11.98   T 3 T 2 + Zeolite @ 20 kg ha -1 50.67 14.38   T 4 T 2 + Zeolite @ 40 kg ha -1 53.21 15.10   T 5 T 2 + Zeolite @ 60 kg ha -1 55.87 15.86   T 6 T 2 + Zeolite @ 80 kg ha -1 59.22 16.81   T 7 T 2 + Zeolite @ 100 kg ha -1 53.30 15.13   T 8 Zeolite @ 20 kg ha -1 22.76 6.68   T 9 Zeolite @ 40 kg ha -1 25.04 7.34   T 10 Zeolite @ 60 kg ha -1 27.53 8.08   T 11 Zeolite @ 80 kg ha -1 29.45 8.64   T 12 Zeolite @ 100 kg ha -1 26.51 7.78     SE (±) 0.01 1.17     CD at 5% 0.03 3.44   Table 2: Effect of zeolite application on total uptake of N, P by green gram crop after harvest

53. Case study 5

54. Material and methods Two field experiments were conducted in Sakha Agricultural Research Station Farm (clayey soil) and private farm at Baltium district (sandy soil) Egypt, during spring and summer seasons of (2018). Split plot design with three replicates, the main plots were devoted to zeolite at the rates of 0, 4.76 and 9.52 Mg ha -1 and the sub plots were occupied by mineral fertilizers at the rates of 50% and 100% from the recommended NPK doses. Clayey soil RDF: 238 kg ammonium sulphate ha -1 , 59.5 kg potassium sulphate ha -1 and 119 kg superphosphate ha -1 . Sandy soil, the recommended doses were 404.6 kg ammonium sulphate ha -1 , 95.2 kg potassium sulphate ha -1 and 238 kg superphosphate ha -1 . Turkish zeolite (soft) was thoroughly mixed with the surface soil layer (0-30 cm) before cultivation.

55. Chemical composition of zeolite SiO 2 (%) 65.14 Al 2 O 3 (%) 11 CaO (%) 8.8 K 2 O (%) 4.6 Na 2 O (%) 1.48 FeO (%) 8.31 P 2 O 5 (%) 0.67 pH 7.01 EC ( dS m -1 ) 2.3 CEC(c mol kg -1 ) 153

56. Location Sakha Balteem pH 8.02 7.54 Ec e ( dS m -1 ) 3.64 2.35 Soluble cations ( meq L -1 ) Na + 20.02 12.93 K + 0.4 0.1 Ca ++ 10.2 4.0 Mg ++ 5.8 2.0 HCO 3 - 4.5 1.5 Soluble anions ( meq L -1 ) Cl - 18.2 11.8 SO 4 = 13.72 5.73 SAR 7.08 7.46 CEC (c mol kg -1 ) 39.44 9.22 Table 2. Some chemical characteristics of the tested soils

57. 58 Location Sakha Balteem Particle size distribution(%) Clay 52.60 6.12 Silt 31.09 7.61 Sand 16.31 86.27 Texture Clayey Sandy BD (g cm -3 ) 1.22 1.67 Total Porosity(%) 53.96 37.0 Soil moisture characteristics (%) Field capacity 41.32 6.37 Permanent wilting point 17.97 2.21 Available water 23.35 4.10 Table 3. P hysical and soil moisture characteristics of the soils

58. 59 Results and Discussion

59. 60 Fig. 2. Effect of zeolite and NPK fertilization on ECe in sandy soil Fig. 1. Effect of zeolite and NPK fertilization on ECe in clayey soil dS /m m dS /m m

60. 61 Fig. 4. Effect of zeolite and NPK fertilization on SAR in sandy soil Fig. 3. Effect of zeolite and NPK fertilization on SAR in Clayey soil 4.70 5.24

61. 62 Fig. 6. Effect of zeolite and NPK fertilization on CEC ( c mol kg -1 ) in sandy soil Fig. 5. Effect of zeolite and NPK fertilization on CEC (c mol kg -1 ) in clayey soil

62. Fig 7. Effect of zeolite and NPK fertilization on soil bulk density (g cm -3 ) in clayey soil Fig 8 . Effect of zeolite and NPK fertilization on soil bulk density (g cm -3 ) in sandy soil

63. Fig. 9. Effect of zeolite and NPK fertilization on total porosity in clayey soil Fig. 10. Effect of zeolite and NPK fertilization on total porosity in sandy soil

64. Fig. 11. Effect of zeolite and NPK fertilization on soil moisture characteristics in clayey soil Fig. 12. Effect of zeolite and NPK fertilization on soil moisture characteristics in sandy soil

65. Clayey soil Sandy soil Seasons Treatments Zeolites Mean Zeolites Mean NPK Fer. (F) Z Z 1 Z 2 (F) Z Z 1 Z 2 (F) Spring 50% 14.76 16.27 17.94 16.32 7.53 8.30 9.15 8.33   100% 15.50 17.09 18.84 17.14 7.91 8.72 9.61 8.75   Mean (Z) 15.13 16.68 18.39   7.72 8.51 9.38   (Z) F-test & LSD 0.05 (F)F-test & LSD 0.05 (Z*F) F-test **(0.053) **(0.027) **       ** (0.026) ** (0.017) **     Summer 50% 14.55 16.70 18.9 16.72 7.93 9.27 10.56 9.25   100% 15.80 17.83 20.21 17.95 8.59 9.67 11.27 9.84   Mean (Z) 15.18 17.27 19.56   8.26 9.47 10.92   (Z) F-test & LSD 0.05 (F) F-test & LSD 0.05 (Z*F) F-test ** (1.72) ns *       ** (0.508) ** (0.139) **     Table 5: Effect of zeolite and NPK fertilization on total fresh Jew’s mallow yield (Mg ha -1 )

66. Zeolite improved soil physico -chemical (pH, EC, CEC, OC) and physical (BD, WHC) properties Zeolite can be used as an amendment in saline soils and also used as a very good fertilizer . Zeolite is a soil modifier, its use is recommended in the field of sustainable agriculture, soil , water and the environmental protection. Use of Zeolite with NPK fertilization in clayey and sandy soils improved the soil properties, i.e., decreased SAR, increased soil porosity and improved the availability of soil nutrients and consequently decreased the environmental pollution.

67. 68