Are some soils more sensitive than others to saline and/or sodic water?
Yes. Irrigation water that is suitable for one soil may not be for another. Use of saline and/or sodic water for irrigation can be risky business on soils predominated by silt or clay. Just 1 acre-foot of moderately saline irrigation water (EC = 3 dS/m – the upper end of suitability for irrigation water) will introduce 1.8 tons of salt to an acre of land. Soluble salts do not leach as readily through fine textured soils as through sandy soils. Therefore, when irrigating fine textured soils with moderately saline water, it is critical to add enough water to meet crop water requirements and to maintain a net downward movement of water through the soil. In addition to being a salinity component of irrigation water, sodium poses a more troublesome problem in soils with more than 30% clay. On such soils, sodium degrades soil physical properties, leading to poor drainage and crusting. Irrigation of sandy soils with sodic water on sandy soils does not cause such problems, as the sodium is mor
