Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
The effects of halophytes on salt balance in an arid irrigation district
Author(s):
Zhenyong Zhao,
Ke Zhang, Ping Wang, Lei Wang, Chuanhua Yin, Changyan Tian*Recieved Date: 2013-07-08, Accepted Date: 2013-10-14
Abstract:The introduction of irrigated agriculture in the arid regions of Northwest China has resulted in soil salinisation. For a long time, salt leaching by drainage has been vital to control salt balance in the irrigation areas. However, the availability of water for salt leaching is threatened by water shortage, so other methods for salt removal are needed. The objective of this study was to investigate the salt-removing capacity of halophytes and assess the feasibility of biodesalination in irrigation areas. The annual halophytes of Salicornia europaea, Suaeda salsa and Atriplex aucheri were grown in the heavily saline soils under drip irrigation conditions in the Karamay Agricultural Developmental District, Xinjiang, China during 2009-2010. The aboveground parts of plants were collected to determine the extraction of salt. The results showed that the salt imported by irrigation water was 980 kg ha-1 each year; however, the salt removal of A. aucheri, S. salsa and S. europaea was 7619 kg ha-1, 5258 kg ha-1 and 4828 kg ha-1, respectively, in 2009, and 7020 kg ha-1, 5185 kg ha-1 and 4710 kg ha-1, respectively, in 2010. The effectiveness of the treatments for desalinisation was in the order of A. aucheri > S. salsa > S. europaea. By analysing the salt balance in the district after biodesalination, we found that the salt introduced via irrigation was less than the salt removed by halophytes, which indicates that the method of biodesalination is feasible with water-saving benefits. Our results suggest that the planting of halophytes is a promising option for the control of salt balance in irrigation areas.
Keywords:Aboveground biomass,
drainage system, halophytic plants, irrigation district, salt balanceJournal: Journal of Food, Agriculture and Environment
Year: 2013
Volume: 11
Issue: 3&4
Category: Environment
Pages: 2669-2673
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