Effects of saline water irrigation on soil properties in northwest China

Abstract

Due to the lack of freshwater, highly saline groundwater was the main irrigation source in the last few decades in the Minqin Basin, which is in northwest China. The study evaluates the effects of salt accumulation on the soil physical–chemicals properties. Undisturbed and disturbed soil samples were taken from the experiment site, which was irrigated with saline water at a concentration of 0.8, 2 and 5 g L−1 (coded later as C08, C2 and C5). Undisturbed soil samples, at depths of 0–45 and 45–60 cm were taken to determine the water retention curve (WRC). Moreover, in the same place, another set of undisturbed soil samples were taken to determine the porosity and pore-size distribution (PoSD). From the WRC, the water-holding capacity of the soil was estimated. Disturbed soil samples at depths of 0–20, 0–45, 45–60 and 80–100 cm were taken to determine the index of aggregates stability in water (IC). The electrical conductivity of the saturated paste (ECe) was determined at depths of 0–30, 30–60 and 60–90 cm, during the irrigation season on C08, C2 and C5 treatments. The results show that the total porosity and the index of aggregates stability in water decrease with the increasing salinity of irrigation water, and the ECe increases with the increasing salinity of irrigation water especially in the surface soil. The water-holding capacity (WHC) of soil also increases with the increasing salinity of irrigation water.