|
|
SOIL DEGRADATION PROCESSES AND CONTROL |
|
Degradation process:
|
Due to salinization of irrigated areas.
|
Description:
|
The imbalance between soluble salts which can enter the soil by means of irrigation water and those which leave with drainage water (or due to the lack of drainage) leading to a gradual increase in soluble salts in the root zone, which in turn will threaten crop productivity and produce changes in soil properties and behaviour.
Importance: great in the Mediterranean area.
|
Soil functions affected:
|
Biomass production (reduction of crop productivity), biological habitat.
|
Diagnostic criteria:
|
Vegetation type and appearance. Presence of white efflorescence on the soil surface. Chemical analyses.
|
Click on the image
Salinization processes on irrigated soils.
Baix Segura (J. Porta)
|
Prevention and control:
|
Any irrigated area should have an associated drainage system which ensures the elimination of soluble salts with drainage water. The area should be subject to periodical checks in order to monitor soil properties from year to year with specific attention to the level of soluble salts. Preventive measures consist of calculating and applying the leaching fractions necessary to provide an excess of irrigation water, so that this excess fraction eliminates the salts through drainage and thereby prevents salts from accumulating in the soil.
|
|
<< back |
|
|
|
;)
