Salinity and sodicity affect soil respiration and dissolved organic matter dynamics differentially in soils varying in texture

Abstract The individual effects of salinity and sodicity on organic matter dynamics are well known but less is known about their interactive effects. We conducted a laboratory incubation experiment to assess soil respiration and dissolved organic matter (DOM) dynamics in response to salinity and sodicity in two soils of different texture. Two non-saline non-sodic soils (a sand and a sandy clay loam) were leached 3–4 times with solutions containing different concentrations of NaCl and CaCl2 to reach almost identical electrical conductivity (EC1:5) in both soils (EC1:5 0.5, 1.3, 2.5 and 4.0 dS m−1 in the sand and EC1:5 0.7, 1.4, 2.5 and 4.0 dS m−1 in the sandy clay loam) combined with two sodium absorption ratios: SAR