EFFECT OF DRIP IRRIGATION WITH BRACKISH WATER ON THE SOIL CHEMICAL PROPERTIES FOR A TYPICAL DESERT PLANT (<i>HALOXYLON AMMODENDRON)</i> IN THE MANAS RIVER BASIN
Guang Yang, Saihua Liu, Ke Yan, Lijun Tian, Pengfei Li, Xiaolong Li, Xinlin He
Abstract
Abstract Drip irrigation with brackish water is crucial for the efficient use of scarce water resources and ecological restoration. A 2‐year study was conducted to examine the effects of drip irrigation with brackish water on soil physicochemical properties and on the desert plant Haloxylon ammodendro n which is essential in maintaining the ecological balance in desert areas. Field experiments were conducted to examine the effects of brackish water irrigation with different salinities (1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 g l −1 ) on the salt migration, ion contents and chemical characteristics of the soil solution. For irrigation salinities between 1 and 6 g l −1 , the soil water content increased with elevated salinity, whereas, under treatments with salinities of 9 and 12 g l −1 , the soil water content showed a decreasing trend with elevated salinity. Brackish water irrigation could accumulate salt and the soil salt content in the 60–80 cm soil layer was the highest; With elevated irrigation salinity, the changes in SO 4 2− , Cl − , K + and Na + ion contents in the soil increased significantly. The cations in the soil aqueous solution gradually changed from Ca 2+ to Na + , the anions changed from SO 4 2− to Cl − and the hydrochemical facies changed from SO 4 2− − Ca 2+ ·Mg 2+ to SO 4 2− ·Cl − – Na + . © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.