Abstract
Soil salinization is directly related to the quantity and quality of food production, and often, to increased energy demands for high-quality irrigation water. Reliable monitoring of soil salinity based on a less laborious method than the soil saturated paste (SP) extract methodology is required. In the present study, an attempt is made to relate the electrical conductivity (EC) of the soil saturated paste (SP) extract (ECe) with the EC determined in the 1:1 and 1:5 soil over water mass ratios, (soil:water) extracts (EC1:1 and EC1:5). ECe, EC1:1, and EC1:5 values were obtained for 198 soil samples from five different locations in Greece. The results have shown that strong linear relationships exist between the ECe and the EC1:1 and EC1:5 values (R2 > 0.93), and that the slopes of these linear relationships decreased from coarse to fine soil types. For 123 soil samples, the concentrations of Κ+, Νa+, Ca2+, Mg2+, and Cl− were also determined in the extracts of the three applied methodologies. Ion concentrations in the 1:1 and 1:5 extracts were highly correlated with the respective ion concentrations in the SP extracts. These findings strongly suggest that EC1:1 and EC1:5 values can be safely used for the estimation of ECe.
Highlights
All terrestrial life depends on soil and water
Overexploitation of unconfined underground aquifers in coastal areas leads gradually to reversing the direction of the hydraulic head gradient, and inevitably, to sea-water intrusion, with its adverse effects on water quality manifesting in secondary soil salinization
electrical conductivity of saturated paste extracts (ECe) determination in saturated paste (SP) extracts from a large number of soil samples, as in cases of salinity monitoring that involves repeated soil sampling from different parts of the field during the growing season, appears to be difficult and laborious [4]
Summary
All terrestrial life depends on soil and water. So commonplace and seemingly abundant are these ecosystem components that we tend to treat them with contempt [1]. ECe determination in SP extracts from a large number of soil samples, as in cases of salinity monitoring that involves repeated soil sampling from different parts of the field during the growing season, appears to be difficult and laborious [4]. It is to be noted that soil over water mass ratios are weakly correlated with actual soil conditions These methods can be very useful in practice when one is not interested in determining the absolute EC values or the absolute soil-salt concentration, but rather, is seeking to determine their relative changes. Sonmez et al [8] and Franzen [10] studied the EC relationships in three different soil types and proposed a different equation for each soil type (Coarse, Medium, Fine)
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