Kenaf Production on a Saline Soil Irrigated with Nonsaline and Saline Water and Its Effects on Salinity of Soil and the Shallow Aquifer, 1991

摘要

The soils in Central California's San Joaquin Valley area have salinity and shallow water table problems. For these soils to be productive, they must be drained to keep the water table below the root zone and to lower the soil's salinity. There is no outlet for the drainage water that is accumulating in the soil, causing the water table to rise and increasing soil salinity. One long term solution is to grow a multipurpose annual crop that can tolerate the existing conditions and that can reduce drainage water disposal volume. Such a crop is kenaf--a source of fiber for high quality paper and related products and for cattle feed. The project found that the several varieties of kenaf removed salt, boron, and selenium in substantial quantities from the soil and from the shallow aquifer. The tested crops also used a substantial amount of water, beneficially lowering the water table.