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Management of dryland salinity

Dryland salinity is essentially a water balance problem,

since it is the movement of water that controls salt

transport. Excess recharge into groundwater stores

causes water tables to rise, carrying dissolved salts to

the surface. Salinity management, therefore, focuses

on reducing groundwater recharge...

Irrigation salinity

Causes of irrigation salinity:

Irrigation salinity is the accumulation of salts in the topsoil under irrigation. It is caused by over-

irrigation of agricultural land, inefficient water use, poor drainage and the irrigation of

unsuitable and 'leaky' soils. All of the above increase groundwater recharge and result in water

table rise, bringing salts to the soil surface. The problem is exacerbated by the use of low

quality (i.e. salty) irrigation water. Even mildly saline water can cause salinity problems because

evaporation and plant uptake remove the water, leaving the salt to accumulate in the soil.

Irrigation salinity results in similar problems to dryland salinity including:

1. decreasing agricultural productivity

2. declining groundwater and surface water quality.

3. damage to farm and urban infrastructure, including irrigation equipment

Management of irrigation salinity

Like dryland salinity, irrigation salinity is a water balance problem and is managed by reducing

groundwater recharge by:

1. avoiding over-irrigation by using irrigation techniques such as drip irrigation.

2. monitoring soil moisture to determine when the soil needs irrigating and matching water

applications to plant water requirements.

3. using deep-rooted crops and pastures to minimise deep drainage .

4. grow salt-tolerant species on salt-affected land.

engineering solutions such as subsurface drainage to intercept deep drainage, surface

drainage to collect surface runoff or groundwater pumping.

a coordinated approach is generally required with a mixture of engineering and other

solutions and over a large areA...

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