Article · March 018 citations reads 1,144 author: Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects

Table 4. Primary and secondary nutrients of desert soil before 
and after adding cow dung 
Soil elements 
Before adding 
cow dung (PPM) 
After adding cow dung 
(PPM) 
Ca 
45.6 
46.9 
Fe 
0.0729 
0.0929 
K 
334 
490 
Mg 
45.4 
60.7 
Na 
345 
360 
Zn 
0.019 
0.030 
Ag 
0.0375 
0.0399 
The corn seeds are planted with 30 cm distance from each 
seed. The growth was observed and recorded. The growth of 
corn plants are as shown in Table 5. 
 
Table 5. The growth of corn plants in 5 weeks duration 
Duration after planting 
Growth of corn plants (cm) 
Week-1 
8.5 
Week-2 
19 
Week-3 
29 
Week-4 
40.2 
Week-5 
53.9 
The growth of fenugreek is as shown in Table 6. 
Table 6. The growth of fenugreek in 5 weeks duration 
Duration after planting 
Growth of fenugreek plants (cm) 
Week-1 
3.5 
Week-2 
6 
Week-3 
8.2 
Week-4 
9.7 
Week-5 
11.2 
DISCUSSION 
 
The soil pH was 8.0 after soil conditioning. The permeability 
of the soil was reduced from 29.7 mm to 17.2mm. As a result 
the water holding capacity of the desert soil was increased. 
As the results have shown in Table 5, the growth of corn plant 
is increasing steadily. It was observed the growth of corn in 
week-1 is 8.5 cm and at week 5 it was 53.9cm. The growth of 
fenugreek was from 3.5 cm to 11.2 cm in the fifth week. 
Conclusion 
 
It was observed that the desert soil conditioning for 
agricultural purpose can be achieved. The addition of cow 
dung, vermicompost and biochar facilitated the plant growth. 
The water requirement plays a vital role for plant growth.