Effect of Alternate Irrigation with Fresh and Saline Waters on Soil Profile Salinity and Chemical Properties

摘要

A greenhouse study was conducted to investigate the effects of irrigating with different levels of water salinities followed by freshwater application on soil profile salinity and chemical properties under Bermudagrass. Irrigating with saline water increased soil extract electrical conductivity (EC_e) at all layers, but the impact was significantly larger for the top 5 cm of the soil. The application of freshwater at the end of the experiment significantly reduced EC_e, especially for topsoil. Soil sodicity was not impacted, mainly due to the combination of salts selected for reaching the target salinity levels of irrigation water. Soil acidity increased with irrigation water salinity, but the application of freshwater did not have any impact on changing pH levels. The changes in concentrations of four major cations (sodium, calcium, potassium, and magnesium) were similar to those observed for EC_e.