Future challenges of irrigated agriculture using poor quality water

Abstract EN

Since the development of new water supplies in the future are unlikely to keep pace with the increasing water needs of industries and municipalities, irrigated agriculture faces ٧١٥ need to inerease production with less water, in many instances of poorer quality.

At the same time, there is a need to reduce and control negative environmental impacts on surface and ground waters — an inevitable consequence of irrigation.

Four aspects of water management are important when dealing with the use of poor quality water for irrigation: (1) selection of appropriately salt tolerant crops and control of soil salinity through leaching; (2) maintenance ofsoil physical proj^rties to assure soil tilth and adequate soil penneability to meet crop water and leaching requirements; (3) improvements in water management, and in some cases, the adoption of advanced irrigation technology; and (4) acceptable disposal methods for either the drainage water, or the salt it contains.

This review covers research, the application of available computer models to water, salt, and soil management, and fanner experiences in these areas.

The focus of the paper is on technologies, developed by researchers and farmers, that facilitate the use of poor quality irrigation waters while at the same time minimizing adverse impacts on crop yields and soil physical properties of irrigated lands, and on-site environmental impact.

These technologies pose the need to be more aware than ever of the off-site environmental problems posed by the need to dispose of the saline drainage waters with acceptable impacts on the environment.