Like virtually all living things, plants need water to survive. In agriculture, this aspect is even more important because, if the right levels of water are not provided at all times, crop yield and productivity could be affected. This brings us to one of today's most worrying environmental problems, drought. To cope with it, irrigating with brackish water is one of the most interesting solutions.
Current problems with water quality
Water availability does not only present problems in terms of quantity. The quality of some sources of supply is also an important factor to consider. Irrigating a crop with bad water can be the same or worse than not irrigating it at all. Therefore, the current problems with water quality must be considered.
The first and possibly the most important problem is the presence of waste in many waters. The main cause of this is the discharge of waste from large cities or industrial areas into rivers and streams that are subsequently used in agriculture. Thus, irrigating with brackish water could be a potential solution to contaminated water.
Secondly, there is the issue of clogging in irrigation systems. These cloggings and obstructions can be caused by a variety of reasons. Among them are excessive levels of carbonates, iron or pH, as well as the presence of bacteria.
Finally, another common problem is the high salinity levels of many supply sources. This results in crops needing more water to obtain the same levels as they would with adequate water. Consequently, the cost of cultivation will increase and become less profitable.
How irrigation with brackish water affects crops
One of the current problems in agriculture is the decline in soil quality. To combat this, although there are solutions such as humic acids humic acidsit is vital to irrigate with water that is in the best possible condition. By using water with high levels of salinity in crops, crop productivity is continually being affected.
Thus, a combination of several factors such as high water salinity, low water quantity and high levels of evaporation will have direct consequences on the soil. This is because, unless rainfall occurs, the salts will settle in the surface layers of the soil. Therefore, they will not seep into the deeper layers and will remain in contact with the plant and its roots.
Symptoms of excess salts
Detecting high levels of salts in crops is the first step to address the problem. As indicated in this Agromática article, the characteristics of a saline soil are:
- pH levels below 8.5.
- High content of soluble salts
- Soil structure and permeability do not appear to be affected.
How to irrigate with saline water
The ideal scenario in agriculture is to have water of the highest quality, but this is not always possible. In many areas and crops it is necessary to irrigate with brackish water because no other water is available.
At this point, the first thing to consider when irrigating with brackish water is the salinity levels of the water. The more saline the water, the more likely it is that crop yields will decrease. The main reason for this is not the salt itself, but its accumulation in the soil. accumulation in the soil over time. To address this problem, two things need to be considered:
- Level of bridad. To know it you will have to ask for an analysis to a laboratory.
- Soil drainage. The better the soil filters the surface layers, the less salts will accumulate in the crop layers.
On the other hand, there are a series of actions that we can carry out to counteract the salinity of the water. These include improving the drainage of the soil itself or leveling the soil to avoid higher concentrations of salts at certain points. On the other hand, enhancing plant growth in the early stages in the early stages will also be positive as it will increase their resistance to salinity.
