Effects of Irrigation with Saline, Saline-sodic and Alkali Waters on Soils

Minhas, P.S. and Qadir, M., "Effects of Irrigation with Saline, Saline-sodic and Alkali Waters on Soils" in Irrigation Sustainability with Saline and Alkali Waters: Extent, Impacts and Management Guidelines (Singapore: Springer Singapore, 2024), 69-110.

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  • Author Minhas, P.S.
    Qadir, M.
    Chapter Title Effects of Irrigation with Saline, Saline-sodic and Alkali Waters on Soils
    Book Title Irrigation Sustainability with Saline and Alkali Waters: Extent, Impacts and Management Guidelines
    Publication Date 2024-10-27
    Place of Publication Singapore
    Publisher Springer Singapore
    Start page 69
    End page 110
    Language eng
    Abstract The most common soil problems emanating from irrigation with marginal and low quality waters are salinity (quantity of dissolved salts), sodicity/alkalinity (concentration of sodium/carbonates and bicarbonates), and toxicity (specific ions which damage plant tissue or cause nutritional imbalances). Salt build-up in soils from long-term irrigation with saline waters is governed by the interplay of factors, such as the total soluble salts and chemical composition of the applied water, soil type, water-table, the crops cultivated, climate, and the water-management practices followed. Parameters like SAR, RSC, adj.SAR are used to determine sodicity (ESP) build-up vis-a-vis structural deterion in soil. In addition to soil types, equilibrium ESP after long-term use of alkali waters depends upon annual quantities of irrigation water applied, the annual rainfall (Drw), and the evapo-transpiration (ET) demands of the crops grown in sequence. Swelling and dispersion of clays with sodication, affect soil water-storage and its movement to roots which ultimately impair water uptake by crops. Tillage and sowing operations also become difficult with soil structural deterioration, and restricted water movement into and through soils causes lesser solute displacement and thus more salts are held-back. Earlier EC-SAR combinations were proposed to off-shoot the effects of sodication, it has now emerged that soils become more prone to rainwater infiltration. Structural changes and moved-in colloidal clays into subsoil below the tilled layer likely become permanent throttles to downward movement of water and cause transient waterlogging conditions. Thus the monitoring for infiltration using both the alkali/sodic water and followed by rainwater should better diagnose the risks of sodication induced structural degradation.
    Copyright Holder author(s)
    Copyright Year 2024
    Copyright type All rights reserved
    DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-97-4102-1_3
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    Created: Sat, 19 Oct 2024, 09:42:00 JST by Haideh Beigi on behalf of UNU INWEH