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An alternative water source and combined agronomic practices for cotton irrigation in coastal saline soils

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Abstract

The field experiment for cotton crop (Gossypium hirsutum L.) was conducted at the Zhongjie Farm, Huanghua city of Hebei province in the coastal salinity-affected areas in North China Plain, to determine the effects of an alternative of irrigation water sources/methods and agronomic practices on seedling emergence and yields of cotton, soil water–salt distributions, and soil pH changes during cotton growth stages. The experiment was setup using split-plot design with two water sources as main treatments (well water/desalinized sea-ice water); two irrigation methods (+PAM (Polyacrylamide)/−PAM); and four fertilization modes: check (CK), mineral fertilizer (F), mineral + organic fertilizer (FM), and mineral fertilizer + gypsum (FG). Using desalinized sea-ice water irrigation showed the same effects on top-soil salt leaching and desalinization as using well water did. There was no significant difference in seedling emergence and cotton yields between two irrigation water sources for cotton irrigation. Using PAM-treated irrigation, the 10-cm top-soil salinity significantly decreased to about 2.3–3.9 g kg−1 from 4.6 to 8.6 g kg−1 (PAM untreated). The PAM-treated irrigation increased seedling emergence by about 13, 29 and 36% and yields by about 50, 49, and 70%, with F, FM, and FG, respectively, as compared with CK. PAM-treated irrigation, either using well water or desalinized sea ice, especially in combination with gypsum-fertilization, shows the best practice for both seedling emergence and cotton yields. In conclusion, the desalinized sea-ice water used as an alternative water source, integrated with better agronomic practices of soil water-salt management could be acceptable for cotton irrigation in the coastal saline areas.

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Acknowledgments

This study is a part of the National Basic Research Program of China (“973 Program”, no. 2011CB100501/2007CB109305), the National High-Tech Research and Development Programs of China (“863 Program”, no. 2006AA100206) financed by the Ministry of Science and Technology of China and the International Cooperation Project “Enhanced strategies for climate-proofed and environmentally sound agricultural production in the Yellow River Basin (C-PESAP)”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Agricultural Resources and Regional Planning, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and Nutrient Cycling, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing, 100081, China

    Xiaobin Wang, Quansheng Zhao, Yujiao Hu, Yan Zheng, Xueping Wu, Huijun Wu, Guoxia Zhang & Dianxiong Cai

  2. Key Laboratory of Dryland Farming, Ministry of Agriculture, Beijing, 100081, China

    Dianxiong Cai

  3. Agriculture Department, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla-100, Rome, Italy

    Clemencia Licona Manzur

Authors
  1. Xiaobin Wang
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  2. Quansheng Zhao
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  3. Yujiao Hu
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  4. Yan Zheng
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  5. Xueping Wu
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  6. Huijun Wu
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  7. Guoxia Zhang
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  8. Dianxiong Cai
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  9. Clemencia Licona Manzur
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Xiaobin Wang or Dianxiong Cai.

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Communicated by A. Kassam.

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Wang, X., Zhao, Q., Hu, Y. et al. An alternative water source and combined agronomic practices for cotton irrigation in coastal saline soils. Irrig Sci 30, 221–232 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-011-0277-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00271-011-0277-1

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