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| Submitter's Name |
Eunice Yarney |
| Session Name |
Poster Session - Water & Nutrients in Managed Landscapes |
| Poster Number |
54 |
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| Author(s) |
Eunice Yarney, Soil and Water Science Department (Presenting Author) |
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Mark Clark,
Soil and Water Science Department |
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Soil Salinity differences between Conventional Seepage Irrigation and Irrigation Tile Drainage (ITD) |
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Soil salinity tolerance threshold varies for different crops. Crops growing in conditions exceeding these thresholds exhibit nutrient deficiency symptoms, stunted growth, reduced yield and crop mortality. In soils with high salt concentrations, reducing new inputs and leaching salts from the soil is the most efficient means to keep the salinity below the crop tolerance threshold. Salinity impacts on potato and vegetable crop production in 2011 and 2012 in the Tri-County Agricultural Area of Florida resulted in a need to determine what alternative irrigation and drainage practices might be viable in this area to reduce soil salinity.
Soil salinity differences between Irrigation Tile Drainage (ITD) and conventional seepage irrigation were compared over a period of two years to determine which irrigation practice promoted low soil salinity concentrations. Differences in soil salinity within the soil profile at one foot depth increment was also compared among the two irrigation practices. Soil samples were collected from six farms having both irrigation practices during the growing season of 2014 and non-growing season of 2015.
Results indicate that ITD significantly reduced the soil salinity at varying percentages at all soil depths. For four out of six farms sampled, the overall average percentage soil salinity reduction was 50.27% for the two sampling events. Individual farm average percent reduction in soil salinity ranged between 18% and 68%. This study shows that ITD has a significant potential to reduce soil salinity. |
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