PJB-2018-435
SALT MOBILIZATION IN SALINE SOILS UNDER DIFFERENT IRRIGATION INTERVALS IN SEMI-ARID AREA OF SINDH, PAKISTAN
Kamran Baksh
Abstract
Soil salinization is a key challenge for farmers irrigating in arid and semi-arid areas. To manage salinity, farmers need knowledge of the origin of salts and processes of the salt movement through the root zone. On record, the main source of salt is the application of irrigation water, although in places with high water table, salts may be transported into the root zone by capillary rise due to high rate of evapotranspiration. Usually, salinization can be managed by good irrigated farming practices including irrigation scheduling so as to leach down the salts through the root zone. This paper summarizes an experiment conducted on salt affected land to investigate the mobilization of salts in saline soil profile of Tando-Allahyar, Sindh, Pakistan. Three irrigation treatments i.e 8, 9 and 10cm depths of canal irrigation water were applied with irrigation intervals of 7, 14, and 21-days. The soil types were silty clay to silty clay loam in texture. The electrical conductivity (EC) ranged from 7.72 to 20.68dS.m-1, pH from 7.89 to 8.04. By using analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA), it was observed that there was a significant difference of EC (p ≤ 0.05) and pH (p ≤ 0.05) respectively in association with irrigation days-interval. It was concluded that the irrigation application with EC 0.6dS.m-1 at 7-day for 10cm depth of water reduced soil EC and gave positive changes in EC in comparison with 14 and 21-day interval.
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