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| Soil organic matter amendments in date palm groves of the Middle Eastern and North African region: a mini-review |
| Rawan MLIH1,2*, Roland BOL1, Wulf AMELUNG1,2, Nadhem BRAHIM3 |
1 Institute of Bio-Geoscience, Agrosphere Institute (IBG-3), Juelich Research Center, Juelich 52428, Germany;
2 Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation (INRES)/Soil Science and Soil Ecology, University of Bonn, Bonn 53115, Germany;
3 Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, Department of Geology, University of Tunis El Manar, Tunis 2092, Tunisia |
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Abstract Countries in the Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) region are among the most water-scarce regions in the world, and their dryland soils are usually poor in organic carbon content (<0.5%). In this study, we summarize examples of how people in the few oases of the MENA region overcome environmental challenges by sustainably managing economically important date production. On the basis of the limited studies found in the existing literature, this mini-review focuses on the role of traditional soil organic matter amendments beneath the soil surface as a key tool in land restoration. We conclude that soil organic matter amendments can be very successful in restoring soil water and preventing the soil from salinization.
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Received: 28 December 2014
Published: 10 February 2016
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| Fund: The study was supported by the Exploratory Grant (STC_TUNGER-006/INTOASES) as part of the Bilateral Scientific and Technological Cooperation between the Republic of Tunisia and the Federal Republic of Germany. |
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