Potential problems associated with saline irrigation water use for cotton plants grown on clay soils
Abstract: This work was undertaken with the endeavor to evaluate the effect of saline water alternatives on soil and cotton parameters grown on a clay soil, i.e., shoot & oot lengths; shoot & root dry weights, seed & cotton yields. The experiment was carried out for seven months on cotton (G. barbadense L., Giza 85) planted in plastic pots (50 cm in diameter with height 70 cm). Four different salinity levels of irrigation water were used for irrigation viz: fresh Nile water (as a control, 270 mg/l), the other three concentrations were 2000, 4000 and 6000 mg/l. Four irrigation water treatments were applied in this experiment, with three replicates for each treatment. These four treatments are as follows:(T0)fresh water, 270 mg/l, (control treatment),(T1)alternatively fresh water followed by a saline one, 1:1 ratio, (T2)fresh water followed by two saline ones ratio of 1:2,(T3)saline water only through plant age.
The results reveal that using saline irrigation of 2000 mg/l followed by a fresh one (270 mg/l, T1) gives the minimum increase in soil salinity. While increasing the portion of saline irrigation water (two saline irrigations followed by one fresh irrigation,T2), resulted in almost doubling the soil salinity values as compared with the treatment of T1. The maximum soil salinity values increased about 16-17% as compared with the treatment T2 when saline irrigations were applied only.
The results reveal that, the maximum values of SSP and ESP ranged between 85.7-90.1%,& 21.7-26.2%, respectively when the irrigation water was only saline (T3). Whereas, the minimum ones ranged between 61.93-68.93%,& 8.0-11.3% when T1 was applied. On the other hand, applying T2, where the ratio between fresh and saline irrigation was 1:2, these values ranged between 73.81-81.03% & 13.9-18.7,respectively.
Concerning the effect of applying irrigation water treatments on cotton growth parameters, increasing the salinity concentrations of irrigation water from 2000 to 6000 mg/l,led to a significant reduction in shoot lengths. The reduction percentages ranged between 15 & 23% when saline water of 2000 mg/l was applied, whereas the reduction nearly doubled and ranged between 30 & 51% when the salinity of irrigation water increased three times (6000 mg/l), but the continuous irrigation with relatively high salty water (T3 treatment,6000 mg/l) reduced the shoot length to about one half as compared to that recorded with the T1 treatment. Concerning the root length, the results took the same trend obtained in shoot.
Irrigating with water of total salt concentration around 2000 mg/l or less could be practiced without causing notable damage on the shoot dry weight, However, under this experiment no leaching took place, therefore it could be possible to have better results if leaching requirements are practiced to remove the excess accumulated salts from the root zone. The data clearly demonstrate that up to 4000 mg/l salt concentration of irrigation water, the water could be used without leading to a great damage in seed production whereas, irrigation with waters of salt concentration levels exceeding this value will result in severe deterioration in seed yield.
As for the alternate irrigation treatment (T1), the addition of saline water and fresh water in equal portions or applying the treatment T2,(30 % fresh water and 70 % saline water), did not result in significant differences in the seed production under all the three investigated salt concentration levels applied in the current study. Although irrigation with increasing salt content resulted in depression of cotton yield. The yield depression was not significant up to the salt concentration level of 4000 mg/l which evidently indicate that cotton could tolerate water salinity up to 4000 mg/l. The obtained results emphasized also that, among all alteration irrigation treatments the one to be recommended is the treatment (T2), where substitution with fresh water was minimum (30 % only) and (70 % saline water). Moreover, there is about 20 % saving of fresh water irrigation water when the treatment (T2) was used instead of using T1 treatment and 70 % of the fresh water will be saved if the treatment (T2) was used in stead of using 100 % fresh water (control)
Publication year 2006
Pages 783-800
Availability location Soils, Water and Environment Research Institute, ARC
Availability number
Organization Name
Country Egypt
City Zagazig
Publisher Name: The Egyptian Society of Applied Sciences
serial title Egyptian Journal of Applied Sciences
ISSN 1110-1571
Volume 21 . 8B
Department Improvement and Conservation of Cultivated Soils Research
Author(s) from ARC
Agris Categories Soil erosion, conservation and reclamation
AGROVOC
TERMS		 Clay soils. Cotton. Saline water.
Publication Type Journal
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