Improved saline-water use under subsurface drip irrigation

The scarcity of fresh water in arid regions makes saline water a valuable a lternative water source for irrigation. Although saline-water use for agric ultural irrigation is associated with some reduction in the yield, it is co upled with improved yield quality, as expressed by higher total soluble sol ids content. Field experiments which are in progress in a pear orchard verify that under subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) with saline water, reasonable yields can be obtained. Moisture and salinity distribution under SDI are better adjust ed to the root pattern in the soil, in comparison with the conventional dri p irrigation (DI). These distribution patterns explain, to some extent,the reaction of trees to saline-water application. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B. V. All rights reserved.