Management and tolerance

off llow quality

lit water
t for
f
crops p in Andhra Pradesh

Dr. M. Devender Reddy

Head, Water Technology Centre,
ANGRAU, Hyderabad-30

Paper presented in "Regional workshop on water use efficiency and water crops in
Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad. March 13-14, 2009
1
„ Low-quality
li water is
i defined
d fi d as water
with a relatively high content of
impurities among which salts are the
impurities,
most important factor
„ Inland salinity: Salinity in ground water
inland areas is caused due to geogenic
sources. Coastal salinity:
y Problem of
salinity in groundwater is caused due to
excessive exploitation of fresh
groundwater in coastal areas and
consequent seawater intrusion. 2
Classification of ground water quality for irrigation as
per CSSRI,
CSSRI KKarnall
Water Class ECiw SARiw RSC(meq\l
(dS\m) )
A. Good water <2 Upto 10 <2.5
B. Saline water

i) Marginally saline 2-4 Upto 10 <2.5

ii)) Saline >4 Upto
p 10 <2.5
iii) High SAR saline >4 >10 <2.5
C. Alkali water

i) Marginally <4 <10 2.5-4.0

alkali
ii) Alkali <4 <10 >4.0
iii) High Alkali Variable >10 >4.0 3
Status of g
ground water q
quality
y in Andhra
Pradesh

„ Present ground
P d water utilization
ili i in i the
h state is
i 1.30
1 30 million
illi hah m
and 1.76 million ha m for further utilization.
„ Of this, 54 percent (0.95 million ha m) is available in irrigation
command d areas, and
d th
the remaining
i i 46 percentt (0.81
(0 81 million
illi ha
h m))
in non command areas.
„ The pH of groundwater is in the range of 6.0-9.0 and meets the
water
t quality
lit criteria.
it i
„ Conductivity varies from 205 to 10, 940 µmhos/cm except few
locations.
„ The concentration of Nitrate (NO3 -) is observed in the range of
0.03-59.10 mg/l and Nitrite (NO2 -) is observed in the range of 0.01-
1.37 mg/l (http/www.cpcb.nic.in).

4
RSC is the major problem and exceeded 2.5 me/l in Nellore (53.8%),
Ananthapur (54%), Prakasam (44%), Nalgonda (42.2%), Mahaboobnagar
(40.6%), Kurnool (25.4%), Khammam (19.1%), Krishna (18.2%), Chittoor
(17.9%), Guntur (17.5%), East Godavari (14.3%), West Godavari (7.7%)

About 83% of ground waters were of good quality in West Godavari, 75%
in East Godavari, 79.4% in Khammam, 66.7 in Kurnool, 66% in Krishna,
64% in Guntur,62%
Guntur 62% in Prakasam,
Prakasam 56% in Mahaboobnagar,
Mahaboobnagar 52% in
Nalgonda, 45% in Ananthapur, 37% in Prakasam as well as Nellore
districts while remaining were bad quality waters having both salinity and
alkalinity problem.

The salinity problem was found mostly in waters, Guntur (18.3%),

Prakasam ((18.6%),
), West Godavari ((16.8),
), Krishna ((15.8%),
), East Godavari
(10.7%), and Nellore (9.4%) districts while it was very low in case of
Khammam (1.5%), Mahaboobnagar (3%), anantapur (1.7%), Nalgonda
(5.64%), and Kurnool (6.9%) districts.

5
 Classification of under ground irrigation water in
different districts of Andhra Pradesh

No.
High Margin High % of
of Marginally
S.No District Good Saline SAR ally Alkali col8,9
sample saline
Saline alkali Alkali and 10
s
((1)) ((2)) ((3)) ((4)) ((5)) ((6)) ((7)) ((8)) ((9)) ((10)) ((11))

1 Ananthapur 684 306 (44.7% 8 (1.2% ) 1 (0.2% ) 2 (0.3% ) 148 176 43 50.20%
2 Prakasam 166 62 (37.3% ) 17 (10.2% ) 5 (3.0% ) 9 (5.4% ) - 73 - 44.00%
3 guntur
g 837 537(64.2%
( 118 ((14.1% ) 29 ((3.5% ) 6 ((0.7% ) 11 124 12 17.50%
4 East Godavari 140 105 (75.0% ) 11 (7.9% ) 3 (2.1% ) 1 (0.7% ) - 20 - 14.30%
5 West Godavari 825 685 (83.0% ) 69 (8.4% ) 7 (0.9% ) 62 16 1 7.70%
6 Krishna 501 331 (6.0% ) 60 (12.0% ) 10 (2.0% ) 9 (1.8% ) 68 6 17 18.20%
7 Khammam 544 437 ((79.4% ) 7 ((1.3% ) - 1 ((0.2j%
j ) 60 36 8 19.10%
8 Kurnool 621 414 (66.7) 36 (5.8% ) 5 (0.8% ) 8 (1.3% ) 89 41 28 25.40%
9 Nellore 927 340 (36.8% ) 53 (5.7% ) 4 (0.4% ) 30 (3.3% ) 195 186 118 53.80%
10 Nalgonda 815 425 (52.15% ) 41 (5.03% ) 5 (0.61% ) - 199 105 40 42.21%
11 g
Mahaboobnaga 1131 637 (56.40%
( ) 31 ((2.74% ) 3 ((0.27% ) - 215 208 37 40.59%
12 Chittoor 335 262 (78.2% ) 13 (3.9% ) 0 0 36 22 2 17.90%

6
Status of Ground water quality in Andhra Pradesh:

„ The quality of groundwater along the coastline is generally poor

due to the intrusion of seawater into the coastal aquifers. Chloride
concentrations are generally found to be in the range of 85 to 845
ppm (Lakshmi, 2007).
„ Groundwaters of rural Guntur district are alkaline, very hard and
mostly brackish. Possible sources of fluoride (F-) are weathering
and leaching of F--bearing minerals under the alkaline
environment (Subba Rao, Rao 2005).
2005)
„ A high rate of evapotranspiration, longer residence time of waters
in the aquifer zone, intensive and longterm irrigation, and heavy
use of fertilizers are the supplementary factors to further increase
the F- content in the groundwaters.

7
GUNTUR DITRICT

8
 Ground water quality in Krishna District
Surface water
Ground water
Place Chlorid TDS* Hardnes Place Chlorid TDS Hardnes
e (ppm s e (ppm s
(ppm) ) (ppm) (ppm) ) (ppm)
Tenali 145 879 210 Tenali 55 625 65
Duggirala 140 916 160 Duggirala 55 631 55
Pedavadlapu 130 1346 175 Pedavadlap 55 597 55
di udi
Nidumolu 85 842 135 Nidumolu 60 677 130
Gudur 60 1044 300 Gudur 55 783 125
Pamarru 845 4916 730 Pamarru 50 759 139
Eluru
u u 240
40 1253
53 210
0 Eluru
u u 60 704
04 90
Gudlavallaru 70 1160 145 Gudlavallar 50 669 115
u
Mudinepalli 250 941 150 Mudinepalli 50 652 135
* Total Dissolved Solids
Source: Lakshmi, 2007
9
KRISHNA DISTRICT

Good

Marginally saline

S li
Saline

Marginally Alkali-I

Marginally Alkali-II

Alkali

High SAR Saline

Under Canal Irrigation

10
WEST GODAVARI

11
Quality map of Nellore district 12
„ The higher values of certain parameters pH,
conductance, total dissolved solids, alkalinity,
hardness,, chloride,, sulfate,, nitrate,, sodium,,
potassium, calcium and magnesium at various
locations of Kakinada town in the East
Godavari District indicate the influence of sea
water and make the water unsuitable for
domestic applications.
„ The values of sodium adsorption ratio indicate
that majority of samples fall under the
category of low to high sodium hazards (Jain
et al, 1997).

13
„ Groundwater samples from the Anantapur
district, analyzed for chemical constituents
indicated it is brackish and very hard,
hard with an
excess alkalinity, and is not fit for drinking and
irrigation (Subba Rao et al, 2006).
„ Acoording to the WHO standards
standards, the
groundwater quality of water samples collected
from the existing wells in the Niva River basin,
Chittoor district,, reveal that,, in g general,, the
groundwater is suitable for both agricultural and
domestic uses, exept in a few locations (Srinivasa
Rao et al, 1997). High concentration of nitrates
was observed
b d in
i some off theth wells
ll (b th
(both
agricultural and domestic) that are affected by
the impact of industrial effluents.

14
Ananthapur district

15
„ Groundwater in Chittoor district is alkaline,
alkaline and sodium and
bicarbonate are the dominant cation and anion, respectively
(Srinivasarao, 2007).
„ Gibbs variation diagram shows that the control of the
chemistry
h i t off groundwater
d t in i the
th study
t d area isi the
th weathering
th i
of granitic gneisses and also the leaching of evaporated and
crystallized ions from the topsoil of the irrigated areas and
improperly treated industrial effluent ponds.
„ It was observed that 30.06% of the area is with suitable,
67.45% of the area is with moderately suitable and 2.45% of
the area is with unsuitable quality of groundwater for
domestic p purpose.
p Further,, 46% of the area is with suitable,,
53.36% of the area is with moderately suitable and 0.64% of
the area is with unsuitable quality of groundwater for
irrigation purpose.

16
 t
is tric
D
p ur
a nt h
An
Mulakalacheruvu
Gurramkonda
Kalakada
Yerrava
Srikalahasti
Piler Tirupathi urban Yerapedu
Kothakota Vayalapad Tottampedu
Chinnagottigallu Renugunta
Kovanur
Tirupathi rural
Madana palle Jemmana ppalle Chandragiri R F Forest BNKandriga
R.F

Pottuur Narayanavanam Varadapalem

Somala
Pakala Vedurukuppam
Karvetinagar
Satyaveedu
Pungamur
Nagari
Pedda Panja
Karnataka GNpalem Vijayapuram

Bangarupalem Chittoor
Gangavaram
Good
Yadamarri
Baireddypalle
Marginally alkali
Alkali
adu
Tamil N
Venkatagiri Kota Marginally saline

High alkali
Ramakuppam
Santhapuram

Kuppam

1. BN Kandriga 2. Chandragiri 3. Karveti Nagar 4. KVB Puram 5. Narayanavanam 6. Pakala 7. Pulicherla 8

Puttur 9. RC Puram 10. Renigunta 11. Satyavedu 12. Srikalahasti 13.Thottambedu 14. Tirupati ( R ) 15.
Tirupati (Urban) 16.
16 Vadamalpet 17.
17 Varadaiahpalem 18.
18 Vyedurukuppam 19.Yerpedu
19 Yerpedu
Quality map of under ground water in parts of chittoor district
17
KURNOOL DISTRICT

18
„ Groundwater
G d off M
Mahaboobnagar
h b b h
have sodium
di bi
bicarbonate,
b
sodium chloride, mixed cationic-mixed anionic, mixed cationic Na
dominating bicarbonate, and mixed cationic Ca dominating
bicarbonate types (Raju and Goud, 2005).
„ Of them,
them sodium bicarbonate and mixed cationic Mg dominating
bicarbonate types of waters are more prevalent.
„ Graphical treatment of chemical data reveals that, in general, the
area has basic water, whereas the left flank canal area is
dominated by secondary alkaline water
water, and Pallamarri and Pedda
Rajmur villages have strongly acidic waters. Ion-exchange studies
show that cation-anion exchanges exist all over the area except
for two places, which have a base exchange hardened type of
water.
„ Graphical representation further shows that most of the area has
medium salinity-low sodium (C2S1) water useful for irrigation
purposes.
„ High
g salinity-low
y sodium ((C3S1)) and high
g salinity-medium
y sodium
(C3S2) waters are present in some areas, which need adequate
drainage to overcome the salinity problem.
19
 Groundwater quality of Mahaboobnagar and Chittor

S.N Name of the No. of samples

o district
Tota Goo Marginall Salin High Marginall Alkali High
l d y saline e SAR y alkali Alkali
Salin
e
1 Mahaboobna 113 637 31 3 0 215 208 37
gar 1
2 Chittoor 712 511 65 2 7 79 38 10
Source: Lakshmi, 2007)

20
„ In Telangana region,
region especially in Nalgonda
and Mahaboobnagar districts, alkali soils have
come to exist due to irrigation with poor
quality waters, which are loaded with residual
sodium carbonate (RSC).
„ Continuous and unabated use of saline ground
water are affecting the soil structure, salt
balance, microflora and microfauna
(Sudarshana, 1999).
„ The overall increase in saline area is nearlyy 5%
percent from the 1980 baseline value. This has
happened despite increase in total annual
recharge by nearly half.

21
 Good Medium alkali
41 11
8
42 Alkali High alkali
9 10 1.Koyalkonda 2. Mahaboobnagar 3. Nawabpet
6
12
4. Hanwad 5. Jedcherla 6. Balanagar 7.
13 Boothpur 8. Shadnagar 9. Keshampet 10.
14
5 K tt 11.
Kottur 11 Kondurgu
K d 12 Talakondapalli
12. T l k d lli 13. 13
4 7 25 18 Amangal 14. Madugula 15. Vangoor 16.
16
1 Veldonda 17. Kalvakurthy 18. Midjel 19.
16 34 7 7 Nagarkurnool 20. Tadoor 21. Telkapally 22.
35 17 Pedakothapalli 23. Gopalpet 24. Pebbair 25.
17 20 15
2 Wanaparthy 26. Pedamandadi 27. Ghanpur 28.
10
Kothakota 29. Atmakur 30. Narva 31. CC
15 28 235
33 14
9 60 Kunta 32. Devarakadra 33. Dhanwada 34.
1
32 321 Dharoor 35. Ghuttu 36. Ieeja 37. Gadwal 38.
13 30 26 6 61
12 62 Maldakal 39. Timmajipet 40. Bijinepalli 41.
8 Bommarasipeta 42. Kodangal 43.
31 4 22
20 18 Doulathabad 44. Damargidda 45. Maddur 46.
38 24 Narayanpet 47. Utkur 48. Makthal 49.
11 57
36 29 59 Maganoor 50. Vaddapalli 51. Manopad 52.
58
2139 56 Itikyala 53. Alampur 54. Weepangandla 55.
22
40 Kollapur 56. Pangal 57. Kodair 58. Lingal 59.
52 Balmoor 60.
60 Uppununthala 61.
61 Achampet 62.62
19
37 54 Amrabad 63. Kosigi
50 51
53

Quality map of under ground irrigation water in parts of Mahaboobnagar district

22
 Medak Dt. 1

3 2 Warangal Dt.
6
4
5 10
Hyderabad Dt.
7
8
9 15
11
12
17
14 16 34
13

18

20 19 35
Rangareddy Dt. 21
33 37
30 31 32
36
22

29 38
24 23
42 40 39
41
28
25 58
26
27 56 55
50 51 54
43
Mahaboob Nagar Dt. 53
44 59
45
47
57
46 52
48 Krishna Dt.

49 Krishna River
Nagarjuna Sagar Dam

Mahaboobnagar
g
Guntur Dt
Dt.

Names

Good Marginally Saline Saline

Marginally Alkali Alkali High Alkali

Ground Water Quality Map of Nalgonda District

23
Khammam district

24
„ A systematic ground water survey carried out in various
districts of Andhra Pradesh indicated presence of high
es dua Sod
Residual Sodium
u Ca
Carbonate
bo ate ((RSC)
SC) water
ate in Anantapur,
a tapu ,
Prakasam, Nellore and Mahaboobnagar.
„ The crop yields were adversely affected due to use of these
waters.
„ The soil properties also deteriorated.
deteriorated There was 50% yield
increment with RSC waters in paddy when treated with 2.5
t ha-1 of gypsum+ 2.5 t ha-1 of green manures over no
amendments.
„ Th concentration
The t ti and
d uptake
t k off nutrients
t i t alsol increased
i d ini
rice crop with use of the amendments (Rajendra Prasad et
al 2002). Besides, a reduction in soil pH, EC and increase in
contents of available N and P2O5was observed. In case,
th ground
the d water
t is
i off extremely
t l poor quality
lit and d cannott
be recommended even for blending.
25
Management for saline water
Selection of crop:
„ For successful utilization of saline water, crops
which are semi-tolerant
semi tolerant to tolerant such as
mustards, wheat and cotton as well as those
with low water requirement are
recommended.
recommended
„ Crops such as rice, sugarcane and berseem,
which require liberal water use, should be
avoided.
id d IIn llow rainfall
i f ll areas ((<40
40
cm/annum), mono–cropping is recommended
for maintaining salt balances. Salt tolerance
li i off cereals,
limits l oil
il seeds,
d vegetables,
bl andd
pulses developed in different ecological
26
regions of India are available.
 Salinity limits of irrigation water for agriculture crops

Soil texture Previous ECiw (dS\m) for yield

Crops
p crop
p ((%))
Cereals 90 75

Wheat Silty clay loam Sorghum 3.4 7.0

Sandy loam Bajra 6.6 10.4

Loamy sand Fallow 8.3 11.7

Sand Fallow 14.0 16.1

Barley
y Sandy
y loam Fallow 7.2 11.3
Rice Sility clay loam Rice 2.2 3.9
Maize Clay loam Wheat 2.2 4.7
Pearl-millet Sandy loam Wheat 5.4 9.0
Italian-millet Sand Sunflower 2.4 4.6
sorghum sandy loam Mustard 7.0 11.2
Sorghum fodder Sandy loam Berseem 5.2 10.2
Oilseeds

Mustard Sandy loam Sorghum 6.6 8.8 27

Crops Soil Previous crop ECiw (dS\m) for
texture yield (%)
Safflower Silty clay Maize 3.3 6.8
loam
Sunflower Sandy Mustard 3.5 7.2
loam
Groundnut Sand Italian-millet 1.8 3.1
Soyabeen Silty clay Mustard 2.0 3.1
loam
Pulses\Legu
mes
Pigeon pea Sandy Onion 1.3 2.3
loam
Clusterbean Sandy Variable 32
3.2 45
4.5
loam
Cowpea Loamy Variable 8.2 13.1
sand

Source: Sharma and Minhas, 2005

28
Growth stages:
„ All crops do not tolerate salinity equally well at
different stages of their growth. For example,
germination and early seedling establishment
are the most critical stages followed by the
phase changes from vegetative to reproductive
i.e. heading and flowering to fruit setting.
Therefore, the use of saline water should be
avoided during initial stages of crop growth.
Crop cultivar:
„ In addition to inter genic variations, crop
c lti a s also vary
cultivars a in their
thei tolerance
tole ance to salinity.
salinit
Such cultivars have been identified on their
rating for high yield potential, salt tolerance
and
d stability
t bilit under
d saline
li environments
i t
29
Water Management
„ The distribution of water and salts in soils vary with the method of
irrigation. A shift towards micro-irrigation systems such as drip and
sprinklers, where a better control on salt and water distributions can
be achieved, hold promise for enhancing the use efficiency of saline
water especially for high value crops.
„ Application of the two waters separately, if available on demand, can
be done either to different fields, seasons or crop growth stages so
that the higher salinity water is avoided at sensitive growth stages of
the crops.
crops Cyclic uses i.e.
i e irrigating with water of different qualities
separately offers both operational and performance advantages over
mixing. For skimming of fresh water floating over seawater in
coastal sandy soils, conventional “Dorouv” system has been
improved with specially designed subsurface water harvesting
system that can irrigate up to 3-5 ha land (Raghu- Babu, 1999).

30
Nutrient Management

„ Green manuring, with sesbania every year or at least once in two years, to
raise organic matter status and to overcome the nitrogen deficiency
problem is necessary. In Krishna Western Delta, application of Zinc one
day before sowing of black gram in rice fallow pulse cropping system
significantly increased the black gram yields in saline soils. Of the
nineteen released and pre released black gram cultivars, highest yield
recorded by LBG 726 (13.89 q ha-1) followed by LBG 685 (11.79 q ha-1),
LBG 727 (10.98
(10 98 q hha-1)
1) andd LBG 20 (10.44
(10 44 q h
ha-1)
1) att B
Bestt A
Available
il bl
water (BAW).
„ Response to applied nitrogen is rather reduced under saline irrigation.
Thus, additional doses of nitrogenous fertilisers are recommended to
compensate volatilisation losses.
losses
„ Soils irrigated with chloride rich water respond to higher phosphate
application, because the chloride ions reduce availability of soil
phosphorus to plants. The requirement of the crop for phosphoric
fertilizers is, therefore, enhanced and nearly 50 per cent more phosphorus
than the recommended dose under normal conditions should be added,

31
„ Farmyard Manure (FYM)
„ FYM and other organic manures not only have the
nutritive
t iti value,
l they
th alsol play
l an important
i t t role
l in
i
structural improvements. This further influences
leaching of salts and reduce their accumulation in the
root zone.
zone The other advantage of FYM in saline
water irrigated soils are in terms of reducing the
volatilization losses and enhancing the nitrogen-use
efficiency.
y Retention of nutrients in organic
g forms for
longer periods also guards against leaching and other
losses. In the context of the advantages of FYM and
other organic manure, they should be applied to the
maximum
i possible
ibl limit.
li it

32
 Cultural Practices
Owing to reduced germination, often a poor crop stands in
fields irrigated with saline water. Thus, to ensure better
populations following measures are suggested:
„ Reduce inter/intra row spaces and use 20 20-30%
30% extra
seed than under normal conditions.
„ Dry seeding and keeping the surface soil moist through
sprinkler or post sowing saline irrigation helps in better
establishment of crops.
crops
„ Modifications in seedbed e.g. sowing near the bottom of
the furrows on both sides of the ridges, applying
irrigation in alternate row, and to seed on the north-east
side
id off th
the ridges,
id iis recommended.
d d
„ For the larger seeded crops, the seeds can be planted in
the furrows.
„ The furrow irrigation and bed planting system (FIRB)
has been found better than conventional planting in
cotton / pearl millet –wheat rotations.
„ Adoption of measures for better intake of rainwater
(tillage to open up soil) and its conservation in soil via
checking unproductive evaporation losses (soil/straw
mulching) is recommended during monsoon season.
33
Land levelling and rain water conservation:
„ Proper land levelling and provision of 30-40 cm high strong
bunds for capturing and retaining rainwater are the essential
prerequisites for managing the land irrigated with sodic water.
Th surface
The f soilil should
h ld be
b protected
t t d against
i t beating
b ti action
ti off
raindrops, which can be achieved through ploughing the field in
between rains.

34
Management for alkali water
Crop Selection
„ The guiding principle for choosing the right kind of crops and
cropping patterns suitable for particular sodic water is to select
only those crops whose sodicity tolerance limits are lower than
the expected soil sodicity (ESP) to be developed by the use of
that water.
Use of Amendments
„ Sodic water can be safely and economically used after treating
them with calcium bearing amendment such as gypsum. The
agricultural grade gypsum can either be added to soil or applied
in water throughg specially
p y designed
g gypsum
gyp beds. Both methods
are equally effective in neutralizing the RSC of water and its
adverse effects. Acidic amendment like pyrites can also be used
for amending the deleterious effect of high RSC water both as
pp
soil application and as pyrite
py bed.

35
Irrigation Management
„ Conventional irrigation practices such as basin
irrigation could be adopted to manage alkali water.
Emphasis should be to minimize the irrigation with
alkali water as deterioration of soil directly depends
on the quantities of irrigation water. The ‘alkali
h
hazard’d’ is
i reduced
d d considerably,
id bl if theth watert is
i used
d
alternatively or mixed with canal water. Besides
reducing the gypsum requirement of soil, conjunctive
use of alkali and canal water also helps in bringing
more area under protective irrigation and also in
controlling rise in ground water table and associated
problems.

36
Nutrient Management
„ Since sodic water cause a rise in soil pH that leads to greater
nitrogen losses through volatilization and denitrification, extra
nitrogen may have to be added to meet the requirement of the
crops. Similarly, the availability of zinc and iron is also low due
to their precipitation as hydroxides and carbonates. Some
beneficial tips as regards fertilizer use are:
„ A li ti off 25% extra
Application t nitrogen
it iis needed
d d as compared d to
t the
th
normal conditions. Zinc sulphate @ 25 kg per ha should be
added, particularly for the rabi crops. Phosphorus, potassium
and other limiting nutrients may also be applied on the basis of
soilil test
t t values.
l Some
S sodic
di watert may be b rich
i h in
i nutrients
t i t such h
as nitrogen, potassium and sulphur. Water should be analyzed
and the fertiliser dose of concerned nutrient reduced
accordingly.

37
Addition of Organic Materials
„ It is generally accepted that addition of organic
materials improve sodic soils through mobilization of
inherent Ca2+ from CaCO3 (Calcium Carbonate) and
other minerals by organic acids and increased pCO2
in soils.
soils The solublized Ca2+ in soil replaces Na+ from
the exchange complex. Reclamation of barren alkali
soils by addition of organic materials has been widely
reported However for soils undergoing sodication
reported. sodication,
some disagreement exist in literature regarding the
short– term effects of organic matter on the
dispersion of sodic soil particles (Gupta et
et.al,
al 1984)
1984).
38
 Effect of different amendments on mitigating adverse effect of
RSC waters on grain and straw yields of rice crop

Treatments -1
Yield( kg ha )
Grain Straw
2000Yr 2001Yr 2000 Yr 2001 Yr
T1 Control i.e
i e Well water without any amendment 3000 0
3000.0 2812 3
2812.3 5211 0 4032.0
5211.0 4032 0
-1 3866.7 3625.0 7208.3 5164.3
T2 Gypsum Application to soil @ 5t ha
-1 4725.0 4188.0 7481.7 6161.0
T3 FYM @ 10 t ha
-1 -1 4675.0 4688.0 7485.0 6637.0
T4 Gypsum 50%+ 50% FYM (2.5 t ha Gypsum +5 t ha FYM)
T5 passing of gypsum through irrigation water (@1/2 bag per 4575.0 4675.0 7223.3 6732.0
-1 5456.7 4500.0 7826.7 6512.3
T6 Green manure @ 5 t ha
-1 -1 5481.7 4775.0 7880.0 6843.7
T7 Green manure @ 2.5 t ha + Gypsum @ 2.5 t ha
Mean 4540.0 4180.5 7188.0 6011.8
S.Em( + ) 94.1 141.0 48.6 218.8
C.D (0.05) 205.0 307.2 105.9 476.7
C.V % 2.5 4.1 0.8 4.5

39
„ An experiment on conjunctive use of saline drain water
and good quality water was conducted at SWS, Bapatla
in RBD experiment with three replications using maize,
var; DHM
DHM-103
103 as test crop in a soil having pH 8.2
8 2 and EC
0.32 dSm-1 (Lakshmi, 2007). The EC and pH of
groundwater and Surface Drainage Water (SDW) used
for irrigation during crop growth of both the seasons
varied from 0.64 to 0.82; 7.02 to 7.52 and 2.80 to 4.00
dS m-1; 7.08 to 8.80, respectively. Seed and stover
yields obtained by irrigation at all stages with SDW and
at all stages with SDW but pre-sowing with GW resulted
in lower yields compared to SDW given at flowering, at
silking and milking and at pre-sowing, silking and
milking. In the areas of limited availability of good
water for irrigation, saline drain water could be used
efficiently when used for irrigation at silking and milking
stages by maize.
40
Experimental results incorporated with the package of practices
Crop Variety Seaso Soil Eciw dS/m for relative
n type yield
Cereals 90% 75% 50%
paddy RP-4-14 (Prakash) Rabi Scl 1.8 2.9 4.8
IET-1444(Rasi)
Wheat Raj-3077, SW-2560 Sl 3.8 7.8 16.7
Fingermillet Godavari S 1.7 3.7 7.6
Bajra Vijaya composite S 4.6 6.2 7.3
Pulses
Blackgram LBG-17 Sl 2.7 4.8 6.9
Greengram LGG-127 Sl 2.2 4.3 5.9
Oil-Seeds
Groundnut Girnar-1,Sel-7
Girnar 1 Sel 7 Sl 18
1.8 31
3.1 53
5.3
9-1, ICGV-87189 &
86309
ICGS-1, 5 & 44
And TMV-2
Mustard Local C 3.8 7.9 14.7
Sunflower EC-68415 Sl 3.5 7.2 13.4
Gingelly Gowri Red 2.3 4.6 7.3
loam
Castor SHB-18 & 48-1 Red 6.6 7.6 14.6
loam
Safflower Hima & HUS-305 Sl 5.1 7.6 13.9
Vegetables
Tomato Pusa ruby Sl 2.4 4.1 6.9
Onion Local Sl 5.1 6 7.5
Bittergourd Coimbatore white Sl 2 3.4 5.8
Bottlegourd Summer prolific Sl 3.2 4.5 6.8
Chillies X-235, Sl 3.2 4.5 6.8
Ca-960 2.5 4.3 5.8
G-4 2.6 4.4 5.8
41
Coriander CS-4 C 2.9 5.8 10.7
These guidelines identify special consideration for
saline
li water
t such h as:
„ Use gypsum when saline water (having SAR > 20 and/or Mg/Ca ratio > 3 &
rich in silica) induces water stagnation during rainy season and crops grown
are sensitive to it. Fallowing during rainy season is helpful when SAR > 20 and
water of higher salinity are used in low rainfall areas.
„ Additional phosphatic fertilization is beneficial, especially when C1/SO4 ratio
in water is > 2.0.
„ C
Canal l water
t preferably
f bl iis used d att early
l growthth stages
t including
i l di pre-sowing i
irrigation for conjunctive use with saline water.
„ Putting 20% extra seed rate and a quick post-sowing irrigation (within 2-3
y ) will help
days) p better ggermination.
„ When ECiw < ECe (0-45 cm soil at harvest of rabi crops), saline water
irrigation just before the onset of monsoon will lower soil salinity and will raise
the antecedent soil moisture for greater salt removal by rains.
„ Use of organic materials in saline environment improves crop yields. yields
„ Accumulation of B, F, NO3, Fe, Si, Se and heavy metals beyond critical limits
proves toxic. Expert advice prior to the use of such water may be obtained.
„ For soils having g ((i)) shallow water table ((within 1.5 m in kharif)) and ((ii)) hard
sub-soil layers, the next lower ECiw/alternate mode of irrigation (canal/saline)
is applicable.
42
„ Due to high sodium and high pH in RSC water irrigated soils, it
is necessary to apply Zn, Fe and other micronutrients. Gypsum
application suggested when high RSC waters are used for
irrigation.
irrigation
„ The Water with RSC less than 2.5 meq l-1 is safe for irrigation
and Water with RSC between 2.5 to 4.0 meq l-1 needs
occasional gypsum application to improve crop yields.
„ The best time for gypsum application is after summer showers
followed by ploughing to a shallow depth. Passing sodic Water
through gypsum beds is equally good and labour saving.
„ Tolerant or semi tolerant crops having low Water requirement
such as sorghum and pearlmillet, etc should be grown and
crops with high Water requirement such as rice, sugarcane etc
can be avoided. Sodic waters should not be used for growing
summer crops. Occasional gypsum application along with FYM
will improve rice yield. Application of 25 per cent extra
nitrogen
it is
i needed
d d as compared d tto normall condition.
diti Further,
F th
application of Zinc sulphate@ 25 kg ha-1 to the rabi crops
grown with alkali water.

43
„ Crop rotation improves the yield and soil physico-chemical
properties under sodic water condition.
„ Ridge sowing is better than other methods.
„ The Vegetable crops like Brinjal, tomato, Cabbage and
Cucumber etc can be grown successfully with application of
FYM 10 t ha-1 and passing RSC water through gypsum bed.
„ The Marginally saline water can be used for irrigation in light
textured soils without anyy problem
p either on crop
py yield or on
soil properties.
„ The marginally saline water can also be used in heavy textured
soils with few precautions such as selection of crops requiring
less number of irrigations and with no requirement of summer
i i ti
irrigation.
„ Application of FYM@ 5-10 t ha-1 will mitigate the adverse
effect of marginally saline/saline water irrigation. Waters with
ECiw less than 3 dS m-1, SAR less than 10 and RSC less than 4
meq l-1
l 1 do not pose any serious problem in different soils
under wide range of climate

44
 Minimization of adverse effects of RSC waters with gypsum and FYM
amendments

Presence of high Residual Sodium Carbonate (RSC) water in Anantapur,

Prakasam, Nellore and Mahaboobnagar.

The experiment
Th i was conducted
d d during
d i 2000 and d 2001 at farmers
f fi ld
field,
Vippaguntla village, Prakasam district using gypsum, FYM and green manaures
and their combination to reduce ill effect of RSC waters on crop (rice) yields.
2 5 t ha-11 of gypsum
Results indicated nearly 50% yield increase when treated with 2.5
+ 2.5 t ha-1 of green manures than that of control (no amendments).

Reduction in soil pH, EC and increase in available N and P2O5 contents after the
harvest of crop even after crop removal (Table 1 & 2).

45
 Gypsum to be applied Kgs/ha

No. of
No RSC of RSC to Heavy Light Sandy Sandy
irrigati water be texture texture loams soils
ons (me/L) neutrali d soils d soils
zed Kg/ha Kg/ha

5 5 5-4=1 300 200 100 Occasion

6 6-4=2 600 400 200 al
7 7-4=3 900 600 300 gypsum
8 8-4=4
8 4 4 1200 800 400 applicati
on is
sufficient
to
improve
crop
yield.

46
47