1. Effects of irrigation with saline waters, at different concentrations, on soil physical and chemical characteristics
- Author
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Anna Tedeschi and R. Dell’Aquila
- Subjects
Hydrology ,Irrigation ,Soil salinity ,Soil Science ,Drip irrigation ,soil salinity ,index aggregate stability in water (IASW) ,ESP ,ECe ,Saline water ,Leaching model ,Animal science ,Soil structure ,Evapotranspiration ,Environmental science ,Leaching (agriculture) ,Agronomy and Crop Science ,Earth-Surface Processes ,Water Science and Technology - Abstract
An irrigation experiment with saline water at different concentrations was carried out over a 7-year period on the same clay–silty soil in the Volturno Valley at Vitulazio to evaluate long-term effects of irrigation with saline water on crops and soil. The spatial distribution of the experimental treatments remained the same throughout the 7-year period in order to assess the effects of salt accumulation. Three saline concentrations of irrigation water (0.25–0.5 and 1% of NaCl) and two irrigation levels (100% and 40% restitution of evapotranspiration) were applied. The electrolytic concentration (ECe) was measured every year in spring before the irrigation season. Autumn–spring rainfall caused leaching of salts from 0 to 0.4 m layer and an accumulation of salt in the deeper layers. Accumulation was directly correlated to the quantity of NaCl applied with irrigation. This allowed us to calculate, for the 0.4–1.1 m layer, the mean annual increase in ECe in (dS m −1 per t ha −1 year −1 of NaCl given). At the end of the experiment, it was observed that there was an increase in ECe at a depth of 3 m for the saltiest treatments. The percentage of exchangeable sodium (ESP), however, increased with the saline concentration of the irrigation water (quantity of NaCl) above all in the 0–0.4 m layer, and gradually decreased with depth. Irrigation with saline water led to an increase in ESP and a degradation of the soil physical properties that were estimated indirectly by measuring aggregate stability in water (IASW). The index of aggregate stability in water for the top layer (0–0.15 m) was inversely correlated to the ESP values, even after the leaching due to the autumn–spring rainfall.
- Published
- 2005
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