Dear Pranit Possibility of ...

Dear Pranit

Possibility of excess salt in root zone occur only when soils do not have sufficient moisture/water. As the soils dried up concentration of salts increases because of transpiration of water from surface and through capillary movement whatever salts were removed from root zone by extra water and irrigation find the way to come back. Hence when soil dried the concentration increases up to the level of exosmosis. In fact extra irrigation might help to wash excess of salts and it is the easy way to decrease salts from the upper layers , However salts will be infiltrated to deeper layers and to acquifers, causing problems of salt contamination.
On the other hand, using salt tolerant crops is good to the crops, but it is not good to the soil, which will be contaminated with the salts. So, the best way to preserve future crops and to clean the soil from the salts is to use clean and environmental desasalination techniques-

Conditions required to improve saline soils are:

1. Availability of good quality of irrigation water

2. Good drainage condition

3. Use more organic matter

4. 25% higher fertilizer dose than recommended one

5. Shallow and frequent irrigation

6. Use salt tolerant crops/varieties

7. Rice crop during kharif season is most suitable

Salinity hazard

This is directly related to the quantity of salts dissolved in the irrigation water. All irrigation water contains potentially injurious salts and nearly all the dissolved salts are left in the soil after the applied water is lost by evaporation from the soil or through transpiration by the plants. Unless the salts are leached from the root zone, sooner or later they will accumulate in quantities which will partially or entirely prevent growth of most crops.

Sodicity (alkali) hazard

This is another problem often confronting long-term use of certain water for irrigation and relates to the maintenance of adequate soil permeability so that the water can infiltrate and move freely through the soil

Toxicity hazard

A third problem results from the existence, in some water, of such toxic substances as boron or heavy metals. Boron, though an essential element for plant growth and nutrition, is required only in very small amounts. A high concentration of boron in the irrigation water can have a toxic effect on the growth of many plants. Similarly, certain other ions, e.g. chloride, sodium, etc., could prove toxic to specific crops if present in excessive quantities.

Regards,

Prem Baboo