Moisture and Nitrate Variation in Electrochemically-Controlled Drip Irrigation System in Sandy Soil

摘要

Salt accumulation in soils of arid areas is usually attributed to thequality of irrigation water, soil characteristics, type of irrigation system, and thecurrent irrigation practices. The buildup of salts in the root zones can adverselyimpact the crop production. The addition of chemicals to crops is a common causeof groundwater contamination as chemicals are usually applied in conjunctionwith irrigation. Over application of irrigation water can transport chemicals intounderlying aquifers and render them unfit for human consumption.In United Arab Emirates "UAE", most of the irrigation water is applied using dripirrigation systems. This study presents the experimental results of electro-kineticmethod applied to manage the nitrate migration under variable saturationconditions in sandy soil representative of the UAE conditions. The nitrate isconsidered here as a representative of the nitrogen existing in the utilizedfertilizers. A number of experiments were conducted evaluating the systemperformance subjected to different conditions. These included level of soilcompaction, soil washing, and levels of applied currents. The results show that theelectro-kinetic process was efficient in retaining and concentrating the soil nitratenear the anode. Observations and analyses of the results are discussed to betterunderstand the salts electro-migration under the impact of investigated conditions.