Irrigation water qualitysalinity and soil structure stability

A major concern with water used for irrigation is decreased crop yields and land degradation as a result of excess salts being present in water and in soils. Salinity means the presence of soluble salts in or on soils, or in water. measure of the relative concentration of sodium to calcium and magnesium. SAR can be calculated from the following equation:

SAR =

Na + Ca 2+ + Mg 2+ 2

Assessing irrigation salinity

For salinity management purposes, to assess the suitability of water and soil for irrigation, the following must be considered: quality of the irrigation water characteristics of the soil to be irrigated salt tolerance of the crop to be grown. Climate, soil management and water management practices can also impact on salinity.

where Na, Ca and Mg are expressed in milliequivalents per litre (meq/L). A SAR value is provided in the water analysis report provided by the laboratory analysing the water sample. High concentrations of sodium in irrigation water can result in the degradation of soil structure. This will reduce water infiltration into the soil surface and down the profile, and limit aeration, leading to reduced crop growth. The potential impact of irrigation water quality on soil structure can be evaluated using ECi and SAR values, as shown in Figure 1.
20

Measuring water quality

Irrigation water must be analysed for: electrical conductivity (ECi), which is a measure of the total soluble salts in the water. ECi may be measured and reported in deciSiemens per metre (dS/m) or microSiemens per centimetre (S/cm). A value in S/cm can be converted to dS/m by dividing by 1000 the level of sodium (Na+), calcium (Ca2+) and magnesium (Mg2+) ions present. General salinity ratings for water are shown in Table 1.
Table 1Salinity ratings for water

15

soil structure problems likely

depends on soil type

SAR

10

stable soil structure

ECi dS/m < 0.65 0.651.3 1.32.9 2.95.2 > 5.2

Water salinity rating (levels of soluble salts) low moderate high very high extremely high

0.1

0.2

10

EC i (dS/m)
Figure 1Relationship between SAR and ECi of irrigation water for prediction of soil structure stability

These ECi values can then be used to determine the suitability of water and soil for a particular irrigation situation as outlined below.

In Figure 1 above, water quality that falls to the right of the coloured area is considered satisfactory for use, while values to the left are considered unsatisfactory and special irrigation management will be required. Values that fall between the lines (indicating marginal water quality) should be treated with caution.

Crop salt tolerance

Crop salt tolerance also needs to be taken into account when assessing the suitability of water and soil for irrigation.

Soil structure stability

The ECi value can be used to predict soil structure stability in relation to irrigation water quality and the sodium adsorption ratio (SAR). The SAR value is a

9 311662 176905

The salt content of the soil water in the crops root zonereferred to as the average root zone salinity (ECse)is important in assessing which crops are suitable for growing in particular soils. The average ECse can be calculated using the measured ECi of the irrigation water. This requires estimation of the average root zone leaching fraction (LF) of the soil under irrigation, i.e. the proportion of applied water moving below the root zone. This is shown in Figure 2.
Irrigation + Rainfall

Table 3Soil and water salinity criteria based on plant salt tolerance groupings

Plant salt tolerance grouping

Water or soil Average root salinity zone salinity rating ECse (dS/m) very low < 0.95 0.951.9 1.94.5 4.57.7 7.712.2 > 12.2

sensitive crops

moderately sensitive crops low moderately tolerant crops medium tolerant crops very tolerant crops generally too saline high very high extreme

Evapotranspiration

Run off

Evaporation

Infiltration

Root Zone

LF
Figure 2Diagram of the leaching fraction (LF) concept

Common crop and pasture species are listed in Table 4 in order of salt tolerance determined by average root zone salinity at the threshold level causing yield reduction. Electrical conductivity of irrigation water at the threshold level for a range of soil types is also shown and can be used as a general guide for selecting suitable crops for the particular irrigation situation.

Average root zone leaching fractions for four soil types are listed in Table 2.
Table 2Soil type and average root zone leaching fraction

When to seek expert management advice

Where there is uncertainty regarding the effect of irrigation water quality on soil structure stability or crop salt tolerance, it is recommended that soil samples from the surface and subsoil of representative profiles of the soil under irrigation be submitted for laboratory analysis. Expert management advice should be sought.

Soil type Sand Loam Light clay Heavy clay

Average root zone LF 0.6 0.33 0.33 0.2

Further information
Chapter 4 of the Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for Fresh and Marine Water Quality (2000) has information about water quality for irrigation and stock watering. You can download the guidelines from the Commonwealth Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts website <www.environment.gov.au>. Go to Water, then Publications and resources. The guidelines are under the Water quality publications subheading. Fact sheets on water and other topics are available from the Department of Environment and Resource Management (DERM) website <www.derm.qld.gov.au>. August 2009 W55

Average root zone salinity (ECse) can then be calculated using the following equation:
EC se = EC i 2.2 x LF

where: ECse = average root zone salinity in dS/m ECi = electrical conductivity of irrigation water in dS/m LF = average leaching fraction. The calculated ECse can then be compared against the ECse values in Table 3 to assess the general level of salinity tolerance required of the preferred crop in the particular irrigation situation.

Table 4Tolerance of plants to salinity in irrigation

Common name Scientific name ECse average root zone salinity threshold for yield reduction (dS/m) Field Crops Sorghum, crooble Barley, grain Cotton Beet, sugar Sorghum Safflower Wheat Wheat, durum Sunflower Oats Soybean Peanut Rice, paddy Cowpea, Caloona Corn, grain, sweet Flax/Linseed Sugarcane Cowpea (seed) Phasey bean, Murray Fruits Natal plum Fig Date Olive Pomegranate Macadamia seedling Peach Rockmelon Grapefruit Orange Walnut Apricot Almond Blackberry Boysenberry Grape Plum (Prune) Avocado Guava, pineapple Apple Lemon Pear Raspberry Strawberry Lychee Pastures Urochloa Wheatgrass, fairway Wheatgrass, tall Rhodes grass, Pioneer Couch grass Barley, forage Barley, hay Buffel grass, Nunbank Buffel grass, Gayndah Trefoil, birdsfoot Phalaris Fescue Wheatgrass, crested Barrel medic, Cyprus Green panic, Petri Kikuya grass, Whittet Leichhardt Trefoil, big Sudan grass Setaria, Nandi Townsville stylo Sorghum almum Hordeum vulgare Gossypium hirsutum Beta vulgaris Sorghum bicolor Carthamus tinctorius Triticum aestivum Triticum turgidum Helianthus annual app. Avena sativa Glycine max Arachis hypogala Oryza sativa Vigna unguiculata var. Caloona Zea mays Vinum usitatissimum Saccharum officinarum Vigna unguiculata Macroptilium lathyroides Carissa grandiflora Ficus carica Phoenix dactylifera Olea europaea Punica granatum Prunus persica Cucumis melo Citrus paradisi Citrus sinensis Prunus armeniaca Prunus dulcis Rubus spp. Rubus ursinus Vitis spp. Prunus domestica Persea americana Feijoa sellowiana Malus sylvestris Citrus limon Pyrus spp. Rubus ideaeus Fragaria 8.3 8.0 7.7 7.0 6.8 6.5 6.0 5.7 5.5 5.0 5.0 3.2 3.0 2.0 1.7 1.7 1.7 1.6 0.8 6.0 4.2 4.0 4.0 4.0 3.6 3.2 2.2 1.8 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.3 1.2 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.8 8.5 7.5 7.5 7.0 6.9 6.0 6.0 6.0 5.5 5.0 4.2 3.9 3.5 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 3.0 2.8 2.4 2.4 11.6 12.6 12.1 11.0 9.4 8.2 9.4 9.6 7.5 7.0 7.0 4.4 4.8 3.7 3.2 3.2 4.3 3.4 2.7 7.6 5.3 8.7 5.1 5.1 4.6 4.7 4.6 3.0 2.9 2.2 2.5 2.7 2.5 2.5 3.3 2.5 2.3 1.5 2.0 1.3 1.3 1.3 1.6 1.0 11.8 11.3 12.5 12.8 10.8 9.4 9.4 9.5 8.2 7.6 5.3 7.3 7.6 4.7 5.6 8.0 4.6 4.9 6.5 4.0 3.7 6.6 7.2 6.9 6.3 5.3 4.7 5.3 5.5 4.3 4.0 4.0 2.5 2.7 2.1 1.8 1.8 2.5 2.0 1.5 4.3 3.0 5.0 2.9 2.9 2.6 2.7 2.6 1.7 1.7 1.2 1.4 1.5 1.4 1.4 1.9 1.4 1.3 0.9 1.2 0.7 0.7 0.7 0.9 0.6 6.7 6.4 7.2 7.3 6.1 5.3 5.3 5.4 4.7 4.3 3.0 4.2 4.3 2.7 3.2 4.6 2.6 2.8 3.7 2.3 2.1 3.9 4.2 4.0 3.7 3.1 2.7 3.1 3.2 2.5 2.3 2.3 1.5 1.6 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.4 1.1 0.9 2.5 1.8 2.9 1.7 1.7 1.5 1.6 1.5 1.0 1.0 0.7 0.8 0.9 0.8 0.8 1.1 0.8 0.8 0.5 0.7 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.3 3.9 3.7 4.2 4.2 3.6 3.1 3.1 3.2 2.7 2.5 1.8 2.4 2.5 1.6 1.8 2.6 1.5 1.6 2.1 1.3 1.2 ECi (dS/m) threshold for yield reduction for crops growing in sand loam clay

Urochloa mosambicensis Agropyron cristatum Agropyron elongatum Chloris gayana Cynodon dactylon Hordeum vulgare Hordeum vulgare Cenchrus ciliaris var Nunbank Cenchrus ciliaris var Gayndah Lotus corniculatus tenuifolium Phalaris tuberosa (aquatica) Festuca clatior Agropyron desertorum Medicago truncatula Panicum maximum Pennisetum clandestinum Macrotyloma uniflorum Lotus uliginosus Sorghum sudanense Setaria speculata var. sericea Stylosanthes humilis

Common name

Scientific name

ECse average root zone salinity threshold for yield reduction (dS/m) 2.3 2.1 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.8 1.8 1.8 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.3 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 1.0 6.5 4.7 4.5 4.1 4.0 3.2 2.8 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.5 2.3 2.0 1.8 1.7 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.0 1.0 0.9 8.5 7.0 4.0 2.0 2.0 2.0 1.8 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.5 1.5 1.4 1.0

ECi (dS/m) threshold for yield reduction for crops growing in sand 4.7 3.5 3.8 4.0 4.7 4.3 5.7 4.2 4.0 3.5 3.7 3.3 5.8 2.9 2.9 3.2 3.9 2.9 3.0 2.5 2.9 2.7 2.5 1.8 2.0 2.3 8.2 7.3 5.7 5.2 6.5 4.8 4.9 3.2 4.2 3.2 3.2 3.5 4.2 3.5 3.2 4.3 2.2 3.3 3.0 2.8 2.7 2.3 1.5 3.2 1.9 2.2 2.5 10.8 8.9 6.5 2.5 3.9 3.9 2.3 3.3 2.0 1.9 3.3 2.9 2.8 1.3 loam 2.7 2.0 2.2 2.3 2.7 2.5 3.3 2.4 2.3 2.0 2.1 1.9 3.3 1.7 1.7 1.8 2.2 1.7 1.7 1.4 1.7 1.5 1.4 1.0 1.2 1.3 4.7 4.2 3.3 3.0 3.7 2.7 2.8 1.8 2.4 1.8 1.8 2.0 2.4 2.0 1.8 2.5 1.2 1.9 1.7 1.6 1.5 1.3 0.9 1.8 1.1 1.2 1.4 6.1 5.1 3.7 1.4 2.2 2.2 1.3 1.9 1.2 1.1 1.9 1.7 1.6 0.7 clay 1.6 1.2 1.3 1.3 1.6 1.4 1.9 1.4 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.1 1.9 1.0 1.0 1.1 1.3 1.0 1.0 0.8 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.6 0.7 0.8 2.7 2.4 1.9 1.7 2.1 1.6 1.6 1.1 1.4 1.1 1.1 1.2 1.4 1.2 1.1 1.4 0.7 1.1 1.0 0.9 0.9 0.8 0.5 1.1 0.6 0.7 0.8 3.6 2.9 2.1 0.8 1.3 1.3 0.8 1.1 0.7 0.6 1.1 1.0 0.9 0.4

Sesbania Desmodium, green leaf Clover, berseem Clover Lovegrass Lucerne, Hunter River Lucerne (USA) Pangola grass Siratro Corn, forage Glycine tinaroo Paspalum Clover, strawberry (Palestine) Bambatsi Clover, alsike, ladino, red Clover, white (Safari) Meadow foxtail Orchard grass Snail medic Strand medic Cowpea (vegetative) Barrel medic, Jemalong Clover, rose (Kondinin) Clover, white (New Zealand) Desmodium, silverleaf Dolichos Rongai Lotononis, Miles Vegetables Kale Zucchini Rosemary Asparagus Beet, garden Squash, scallop Broccoli Cauliflower Cucumber Pea Squash Tomato Spinach Cabbage Potato Celery Sweet corn Broadbean Sweet potato Pepper Lettuce Onion Radish Eggplant Bean Carrot Turnip Ornamentals Bougainvillea Euonymus Dracaena Aborvitae Privet Pyracantha Lantana Boxwood Star jasmine Bottlebrush Juniper Xylosma Viburnum Algerian ivy

Sesbania exaltata Desmodium intortum Trifolium alexandrinum Eragrostis spp. Medicago sativa Medicago sativa Digitaria decumbens (pentzii) Macroptilium atropurpureum Zea mays Glycine ughtii Paspalum dilatatum Trifolium fragiferum Panicum coloratum Trifolium spp. Trifolium semipilosum Alopecurus pratensis Dactylis glomerata Medicago scutellata Medicago littoralis Vigna unguiculata Medicago truncatula Trifolium hirtum Trifolium repens Desmodium uncinatum Lablab purpureus Lotononis bainesii Brassica campestris Cucurbita pepo melopepo Rosmarinus lockwoodii Beta vulgaris Cucurbita pepo melopepo Brassica oleracea Brassica oleracea Cucumis sativus Pisum sativum L. Cucurbita maxima Lycopersicon esculentum Spinacia oleracea Brassica oleracea (var. Capitata) Solanum tuberosum Apium graveolens Vicia faba Ipomoea batatas Capsicum annum Latuca sativa Allium cepa Solanum melongena Phaseolus vulgaris Daucus carota Brassica rapu Bougainvillea spectabilis Euonymus japonica var. grandiflora Dracaena endivisa Thuja orientalus Ligustrum lucidum Pyracantha braperi Lantana camera Buxus microphylla var. Japonica Trachelosperumum jasminoides Callistemon viminalis Juniperus chinensis Xylosma senticosa Viburnum spp. Hedera camariensis