Abstract
Soil salinity is considered the most serious socio-economic and environmental problem in arid and semi-arid regions. This study was done to estimate the soil salinity and monitor the changes in an irrigated palm grove (42 ha) that produces dates of a high quality. Topsoil samples (45 points), were taken during two different periods (May and November), the electrical conductivity (EC) and Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) were determined to assess the salinity of the soil. The results of the soil analysis were interpolated using two geostatistical methods: inverse distance weighting (IDW) and ordinary Kriging (OK). The efficiency and best model of these two methods was evaluated by calculating the mean error (ME) and root mean square error (RMSE), showing that the ME of both interpolation methods was satisfactory for EC (−0.003, 0.145) and for SAR (−0.03, −0.18), but the RMSE value was lower using the IDW with both data and periods. This can explain the accuracy of the IDW interpolation method. This model showed a dominance of soil salinity distribution in the South and South-East of the study area during the first season, and for the second season, the salts were concentrated in the middle of the area. Several factors could interact in this variation such as the topographic direction of the water flow and the aridity of the climate (evaporation). From this study emerges the need to maintain a better management of agricultural water and soils, avoiding salt accumulation, to ensure a good yield and the sustainability of agriculture in arid environments.
Highlights
Soil salinization is the process in which a level of salt accumulates in both the surface and the subsurface of soils [1]
For better selection of the method used to determine the spatial variability of soil salinity, both interpolation methods have been evaluated to verify the compatibility of the relative performance of inverse distance weighting (IDW) and ordinary Kriging (OK) [65]
Statistical analysis of the results (Table 2) reveals that in the first season, the electrical conductivity (EC) value varies between 0.15 dS/m and 7.27 dS/m with a coefficient of variation of 104.84, and the Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) value varies between 1.33 and 16.98 with a coefficient of variation of 77.03
Summary
Soil salinization is the process in which a level of salt accumulates in both the surface and the subsurface of soils [1]. With over 17 million date palms maintained by traditional irrigation techniques, the oasis ecosystem is an essential element of arid regions in Algeria and other areas of North Africa and the Middle East They are the backbone of sustainable development of the environment in the Sahara [22], but according to CISEAU (2006) [23], 10 to 15% of irrigated areas suffer from salinization, and 0.5 to 1% of irrigated areas disappear each year. The date palm tree has good tolerance for soil salinity, the accumulation of soluble salts over long periods degrades the soil, which will limit agricultural productivity and reduce the total cultivated area [26]. This is becoming a major problem for the sustainable development of the region. In order to improve the organic fertility of the soil, farmers add around 20 to 30 kg of sheep manure and cover it with sand at the bottom of each date palm to prepare for cultivation
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