Characterization and management of salt affected soils in irrigated pistachio orchards (A case study: Ardakan, Yazd province)

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

1 Assistant Professor, Khorasan Razavi Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Mashhad, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, National Salinity Research Center (NSRC). Agricultural Research, Education and Extension Organization (AREEO), Yazd, Iran

Abstract

This paper categorizes the salt-affected soils into three major groups: saline, saline-sodic, and magnesium-affected soils. It discusses practical management strategies tailored to local conditions and offers recommendations to enhance agricultural productivity on these soils. For saline soils, the paper examines field-based approaches for managing the leaching fraction, compares actual with theoretical leaching requirements, and explores methods for improving leaching efficiency and maintaining root zone salinity within some acceptable limits. For saline-sodic soils, the role of salinity along with potassium and magnesium concentrations in assessing the risk of structural degradation is highlighted. Regarding magnesium hazards, evidence is presented showing an increasing trend of magnesium concentrations in Iran’s soil and water resources. For this purpose, the chemical analysis of 135 water samples and 54 soil samples collected from 18 points in 3 depths of Ardakan pistachio orchards were used for interpretation of these resource characteristics. Water samples include all well waters used for pistachio irrigation and the location and density of soil samples were determined using Latin Hypercube Sampling strategy. Based on the results more than 75 percent of water samples had the salinity of more than 8.5 dS/m and more than the threshold salinity tolerance for pistachio and 25 percent of the samples have the salinities higher than 14.3 dS/m which is quite high for pistachio production. Findings indicate that salt accumulation due to irrigation with brackish and saline waters is the primary factor behind yield declines in irrigated agriculture, emphasizing the critical need for adequate leaching practices. While regarding to the sodium hazards all samples located in the region of no infiltration rate decrease and this hazard appears to be relatively limited , magnesium and alkalinity risks are emerging, particularly with the expanded use of nontraditional water sources such as treated wastewater and drainage water. Effective management of field salinity requires continuous monitoring of soil salinity status and leaching fractions across irrigation events, for which the use of simple tools like wetting front detectors is recommended. Reclamation of sodic and saline-sodic soils can be achieved through biological and chemical amendments, while leaching remains the key strategy for managing saline soils. Additional farm-level practices include applying mulches to curb capillary rise and evaporation, improving drainage efficiency, reducing saline water use in irrigation, and cultivating salt-tolerant or halophytic crops.

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References

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Dryland Soil Research (DLSR)
Volume 1, Issue 2
December 2024
Pages 77-91

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