The rise in groundwater table followed by waterlogging and secondary soil salinization is a serious problem in canal-irrigated areas of arid and semi-arid regions. To combat the problem, an agroforestry model for biodrainage was tested in waterlogged fields of Haryana (northwest India), where 10 per cent area (0.44 m ha) is waterlogged resulting in reduced crop yields and abandonment of agricultural lands.
In this model, four parallel strip-plantations of clonal Eucalyptus tereticornis (Mysore gum) were raised in December 2002 on four ridges constructed in the north–south direction in 4.8 ha canal-irrigated waterlogged fields of farmers. The strip-plantations were spaced at 66 m and each strip-plantation contained two rows of trees at a spacing of 1 m × 1 m, resulting in a density of 300 plants ha–1.
Levels of groundwater table were measured over 3 years (April 2005–April 2008) in 22 observation wells installed in two transects across the strip-plantations. The study indicated the following –
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