Water–salt balance of irrigated soils in the Mugan–Salyan massif of Azerbaijan

Abstract

The water—salt balance in irrigated soils of the Mugan—Salyan massif has been determined from balance observations. Studies have been performed on typical local soils with different degrees of salinity under cotton and cereal plantations. The content of salts is 0.297–0.458% at the sites where the groundwater table occurs below the critical depth (h = 1.75–2.0 m), and 1.00—2.5% and higher in the areas with the shallow groundwater table; the amount of salts removed from the area by drainage is 13.43–16.82 t/ha, or 7.30–10.36% of the balance. The water—salt balance is of special value for the determination of irrigation rates and terms. From the obtained results, a system of measures for improving the land reclamation state has been developed and proposed for farmer economies.