Optimized Irrigation Strategies for Saline Soil Remediation in Agricultural Lands Under Water-Limited Conditions

Chaokun Li, Ye Yang, Hui Xi, Zhiwen Chen, Yingying Dong, Meiling Liu, Junsheng Liu and Wendong Wang ()
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Chaokun Li: Technology Innovation Center for Land Engineering and Human Settlements by Shaanxi Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Ye Yang: Technology Innovation Center for Land Engineering and Human Settlements by Shaanxi Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Hui Xi: Technology Innovation Center for Land Engineering and Human Settlements by Shaanxi Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Zhiwen Chen: Technology Innovation Center for Land Engineering and Human Settlements by Shaanxi Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Yingying Dong: Technology Innovation Center for Land Engineering and Human Settlements by Shaanxi Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Meiling Liu: Technology Innovation Center for Land Engineering and Human Settlements by Shaanxi Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China
Junsheng Liu: Shaanxi Academy of Building Research, Xi’an 710082, China
Wendong Wang: Technology Innovation Center for Land Engineering and Human Settlements by Shaanxi Land Engineering Construction Group Co., Ltd. and Xi’an Jiaotong University, School of Human Settlements and Civil Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049, China

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 23, 1-13

Abstract: Soil salinization is a prevalent global issue, significantly impacting crop cultivation and food production. This study investigates the potential of sustainably harnessing rainwater for the remediation of saline soils in water-scarce regions. Soil column leaching experiments were performed to evaluate the effectiveness of different methods for salt removal from the tillage layer. The findings demonstrated that intermittent leaching was more effective than continuous leaching in remediating NaCl-type saline soils. When continuous leaching with 27 cm of rainwater was applied, the salt removal in soil layers below 5 cm ranged from 12.28% to 26.86%. Intermittent leaching increased the salt removal rate to between 44.49% and 54.18%. This higher desalination efficiency of intermittent leaching is attributable to the extended soil–water contact time. When the leaching time in continuous leaching was increased from 1.5 h to over 4.5 h, comparable desalination effects were produced. The rainwater leaching demonstrated similar salt removal patterns in Na 2 SO 4 -type saline soils. However, due to the stronger affinity of SO 4 2− for clay particles, their effluent concentration and removal were lower than Cl − under the same conditions. To optimize desalination efficiency, operational parameters can be adjusted to reduce the leaching depth of rainwater from 27 cm to 15 cm, and the interval between leaching events from 24 h to 4.5 h. The findings of this study may serve as a valuable reference for saline soil restoration and improvement efforts in water-scarce regions.

Keywords: intermittent irrigation; saline soil remediation; salt migration; rainwater; sustainable utilization (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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