Effects of Irrigation Water Quality and Drip Tape Arrangement on Soil Salinity, Soil Moisture Distribution, and Cotton Yield (Gossypium hirsutum L.) Under Mulched Drip Irrigation in Xinjiang, China

Abstract

More and more attention is being focused on saline water utilization in irrigation due to the shortage of fresh water to agriculture in many regions. For purpose of reducing the risks of using of saline water for irrigation, the mechanism of soil moisture and salinity distribution and transport should be well understood for developing optimum management strategies. In this paper, field experiments were carried out at Junggar Basin, China, to study the effects of drip irrigation water quality and drip tape arrangement on distribution of soil salinity and soil moisture. Six treatments were designed, including two drip tape arrangement modes and three irrigation water concentration levels (0.24, 4.68, and 7.42 dS m−1). Results showed that, soil moisture content (SMC) directly beneath the drip tape in all treatments kept a relatively high value about 18% before boll opening stage; the SMC in the narrow strip in single tape arrangement (Ms) plot was obviously lower than that in the double tapes arrangement (Md) plot, indicating that less sufficient water was supplied under the same condition of irrigation depth, but there was no significant reduction in yield. Mulching had not significant influence on salt accumulation but the drip tape arrangement, under the same condition of irrigation water depth and quality, compared with Md, Ms reduced salt accumulation in root zone and brought about relatively high cotton yield.