Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Hydrochemical assessment of surface water for irrigation purposes and its influence on soil salinity in Tikanlik oasis, China

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Environmental Earth Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The assessment of irrigation water quality and the study of its negative influence on soil are very important, because the soil salinization is one of the most important ecological problems. Water quality parameters such as pH, TDS, EC, contents of SO4 2−, Cl−, HCO3 −, CO3 2−, Mg2+, Ca2+, Na+ and K+ in Qiala reservoir were determined. This water is used for the irrigation of the soils in Tikanlik oasis. Monthly water sampling was done in 2007. The analysis indicated that major dominant water type was Na+-Cl−. For the classification of irrigation properties of the water the following chemical indices were calculated: sodium absorption ratio, residual sodium carbonate, sodium percentage, permeability index and irrigation coefficient. The classifications of Wilcox and USDA Salinity Laboratory were also used. The analysis of all classification methods have lead us to the conclusion that there was a low possibility of sodium or alkalinity hazard in the soils irrigated by the water of Qiala reservoir but there was a big salinity hazard. This negative influence was also confirmed by IWQI, through calculation of which the various quality indicators of irrigation water were generalized and represented by a single value. The salinization degree of the soils in the 14 different areas of Tikanlik oasis and the dynamics of its changes during the irrigation period were studied as well. During the irrigation period TDS and EC values increased abruptly in the upper soil horizon. All this led to the accumulation of high quantity of salts in the upper soil horizon during the irrigation season. Continuous monitoring of surface water by IWQI is the effective way for the complex assessment of irrigation water quality as well as for the control of the soil salinization process.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Al-Ghobari HM (2011) Effect of irrigation water quality on soil salinity and application uniformity under center pivot systems in Arid region. Aust J Basic Appl Sci 5(7):72–80

    Google Scholar 

  • Amezketa E (2006) An integrated methodology for assessing soil salinization, a pre-condition for land desertification. J Arid Environ 67:594–606

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Asawa GL (2008) Irrigation and water resources engineering. NewAge International (P) Ltd., New Delhi

    Google Scholar 

  • Ayers RS, Westcot DW (1976) Water quality for agriculture. FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper No, 29 (Rev 1), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

  • Ayers RS, Westcot DW (1985) Water quality for agriculture, FAO Irrigation and drainage Paper No. 29, Rev. 1, U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, Rome

  • Ayres RS, Westcot DW (1999) The water quality in agriculture, 2nd Campina Grande: UFPB. Studies FAO Irrigation and Drainage Paper No. 29

  • Bahceci I, Nacar AS (2008) Subsurface drainage and salt leaching in irrigated land in south east Turkey. Irrig Drain 57:1–11. doi:10.1002/ird.400

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bauder JW, Brock TA (2001) Irrigation water quality, soil amendment, and crop effects on sodium leaching. Arid Land Res Manag 15:101–113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bezborodov GA, Shadmanov DK, Mirhashimov RT, Yuldashev T, Qureshi AS, Noble AD, Qadir M (2010) Mulching and water quality effects on soil salinity and sodicity dynamics and cotton productivity in Central Asia. Agric Ecosyst Environ 138:95–102. doi:10.1016/j.agee.2010.04.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bouwer H (1978) Groundwater hydrology. McGraw-Hill, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Brindha K, Elango L (2013) Environmental assessment of water quality in Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir, India. Earth Res 1(1):33–36. doi:10.12966/er.05.05.2013

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brindha K, Kavitha R (2015) Hydrochemical assessment of surface water and groundwater quality along Uyyakondan channel, south India. Environ Earth Sci 73:5383–5393. doi:10.1007/s12665-014-3793-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Camberato J (2001) Irrigation Water Quality. Clemson University, Clemson

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen YN, Yang Q, Luo Y, Shen YJ, Pan XL, Li LH, Li ZQ (2012) Ponder on the issues of water resources in the arid region of northwest China. Arid Land Geogr 35:1–9

    Google Scholar 

  • Cieszynska M, Wesolowski M, Bartoszewicz M, Michalska M, Nowacki J (2012) Application of physicochemical data for water-quality assessment of watercourses in the Gdansk Municipality (South Baltic coast). Environ Monit Assess 184:2017–2029

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Doneen LD (1958) Quality of water for irrigation. Proc. Conf. on Quality of Water For Irrigation. Water Resources Center, California Doneen LD (ed) 14:208

  • Doneen LD (1964) Notes on water quality in agriculture. Published as a Water Science and Engineering

  • Eilers RG, Eilers WD, Fitzgerald MM (1997) A salinity risk index for soils of the Canadian Prairies. Hydrogeol J 5:68–79

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fakhre A (2014) Evaluation of hydrogeochemical parameters of groundwater for suitability of domestic and irrigational purposes: a case study from central Ganga Plain, India. Arab J Geosci 7:4121–4131. doi:10.1007/s12517-013-1055-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • FAO (2002) Agricultural drainage water management in arid and semi-arid areas. FAO irrigation and drainage paper 61, Rome

  • FAO (2005) Materials for subsurface land drainage systems. FAO irrigation and drainage paper 60: Rome

  • FAO (2007) Guidelines and computer programs for the planning and design of land drainage systems. FAO irrigation and drainage paper 62, Rome

  • Fipps G (2003) Irrigation water quality standards and salinity management strategies. Texas Agricultural Extension Service, Texas A&M University System, College Station, TX. B-1667, 4-03, pp 1–19

  • Fitzpatrick RW, Merry RH, Cox JW, Rengasamy P, Davies PJ (2003) Assessment of physicochemical changes in dryland saline soils when drained or disturbed for developing management options. Technical Report 2/03. CSIRO Land and Water, Adelaide

  • Franzen D (2007) Managing saline soils in North Dakota. SF-1087 (revised), North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105

  • Ghassemi F, Jakeman AJ, Nix HA (1995) Salinization of land and water resources. Human causes, extent, management and case studies. Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, The Australian National University, Canberra ACT 0200, Australia

  • Guo ZR, Liu HT (2002) Secondary salinification of soil and dynamic control of groundwater in irrigation area of inland basin, northwestern China. Agro-environment Protection 21:45–48

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanson B, Grattan SR, Fulton A (1999) Agricultural salinity and drainage. University of California Irrigation Program, University of California

    Google Scholar 

  • Hem JD (1985) Study and interpretation of the chemical characteristics of natural water USGS. Water Supply paper 2254:117–120

    Google Scholar 

  • Houk E, Frasier M, Schuck E (2006) The agricultural impacts of Irrigation induced waterlogging and soil salinity in the Arkansas Basin. Agric Water Manag 85:175–183

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang T, Pang Z, Chen Y, Kong Y (2013) Groundwater circulation relative to water quality and vegetation in an arid transitional zone linking oasis, desert and river. Chin Sci Bull 58:3088–3097

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li P, Wu J, Qian H (2013) Assessment of groundwater quality for irrigation purposes and identification of hydrogeochemical evolution mechanisms in Pengyang County, China. Environ Earth Sci 69:2211–2225. doi:10.1007/s12665-012-2049-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu YB, Chen YN (2007) Saving the “Green Corridor”: recharging groundwater to restore riparian forest along the lower Tarim River, China. Ecol Res 25(2):112–117

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Masoud EA (2013) Groundwater quality assessment in Wadi Fayd, Western Saudi Arabia. Arab J Geosci 6:247–258

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Masoud AA, Koike K (2006) Arid land salinization detected by remotely-sensed landcover changes: a case study in the Siwa region, NW Egypt. J Arid Environ 66:151–167

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meireles A, Andrade EM, Chaves L, Frischkorn H, Crisostomo LA (2010) A new proposal of the classification of irrigation water. Revista Ciencia Agronomica 413:349–357

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Metternicht G (2001) Assessing temporal and spatial changes of salinity using fuzzy logic, remote sensing and GIS. Foundations of an expert system. Ecol Model 144:163–177

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Miller RW, Donahue RL (1995) Soils in Our Environment, 7th edn. Prudence Hall, Englewood

    Google Scholar 

  • Mkandawire T (2008) Quality of groundwater from shallow wells of selected villages in Blantyre District, Malawi. Phys Chem Earth 33:807–811

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mougenot B, Pouget M, Epema G (1993) Remote sensing of saltaffected soils. Rem Sens Rev 7:241–259

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Novikova AF, Luo G, Konyushkova MV (2009) Salinization dynamics in irrigated soils of the Svetloyarsk irrigation system Volgograd Oblast. Eurasian Soil Sci 42(13):1479–1486. doi:10.1134/S1064229309130080

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Offiong OE, Edet AE (1998) Water quality assessment in Akpabuyo, Cross River basin, South-Eastern Nigeria. Environ Geol 34(2/3):167–174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pang HC, Li YY, Yang JS, Liang YS (2010) Effect of brackish water irrigation and straw mulching on soil salinity and crop yields under monsoonal climatic conditions. Agric Water Manag 97:1971–1977. doi:10.1016/j.agwat.2009.08.020

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pedrero F, Kalavrouziotis I, Alarcón JJ, Koukoulakis P, Asano T (2010) Use of treated municipal wastewater in irrigated agriculture—review of some practices in Spain and Greece. Agric Water Manag 97:1233–1241. doi:10.1016/j.agwat.2010.03.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Piper AM (1944) A graphical procedure in the geochemical interpretation of water analysis, Transactions. Am Geophys Union 25:914–928

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qiao YH, Yu ZR (2003) Simulation study on the effects of irrigation on soil salt and saline water exploration. Acta Ecologica Sinica 10:2050–2056

    Google Scholar 

  • Radov AS, Pustovoy IV, Korolkov AV (1971) Practicum on agricultural chemistry. Moscow, NAS

    Google Scholar 

  • Rhoades JD (1977) Potential for using saline agricultural drainage waters for irrigation. Proceedings from Water Management for Irrigation and Drainage. American Society of Civil Engineers. Reno, Nevada

  • Richards LA (1954) Diagnosis and improvement of saline and alkali soils. Agric Handbook 60, USDA: Washington

  • Saeedi M, Abessi O, Sharifi F, Meraji H (2010) Development of groundwater quality index. Environ Monit Assess 163:327–335

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Semih E, Cankut O (2008) Estimating soil salinity using satellite remote sensing data and real-time field sampling. Environ Eng Sci 25:981–988

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shen Y, Chen Y (2010) Global perspective on hydrology, water balance, and water resources management in arid basins. Hydrol Process 24(2):129–135

    Google Scholar 

  • Srivastava SK, Ramanathan AL (2008) Geochemical assessment of ground water quality in vicinity of Bhalswa landfill, Delhi, India, using graphical and multivariate statistical methods. Environ Geol 53:1509–1528

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tarchouna LG, Merdy P, Raynaud M, Pfeifer H-R, Lucas Y (2010) Effects of long-term irrigation with treated wastewater. Part I: evolution of soil physico-chemical properties. Appl Geochem 25:1703–1710

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service (2002) Soil Conservationists. Salinity Management Guide - Salt Management. Available at http://www.launionsweb.org/salinity.htm. Accessed 2002

  • Vahab A, Mohsen R, Nasim S (2014) Groundwater quality assessment using entropy weighted water quality index (EWQI) in Lenjanat, Iran. Environ Earth Sci 72:3479–3490. doi:10.1007/s12665-014-3255-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van-Camp L, Bujarrabal B, Gentile AR, Jones RJA, Montanarella L, Olazabal C et al. (2004) Reports of the technical working groups established under the thematic strategy for soil protection. Volume II Erosion. EUR 21319 EN/2. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities

  • Wang ZQ, Zhu SQ, Yu RP (1993) Saline soil of China. Science press, Beijing (in Chinese)

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang YG, Li Y, Xiao DN (2008) Catchment scale spatial variability of soil salt content in agricultural oasis, Northwest China. Environ Geol 56:439–446

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wenjun M, Zhenqiang M, Zhenrong Y, Mensvoort MEF, Driessen PM (2008) Effects of saline water irrigation on soil salinity and yield of winter wheat–maize in North China Plain. Irrig Drainage Syst 22:3–18. doi:10.1007/s10795-007-9027-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Western Fertilizer Handbook (1995) Produced by the soil improvement committee of the California fertilizer association. Interstate Publishers Inc, Sacramento, California

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilcox LV (1955) Classification and use of irrigation water. Agriccirc 969, USDA: Washington

  • Wu J, Li P, Qian H, Fang Y (2014) Assessment of soil salinization based on a low-cost method and its influencing factors in a semi-arid agricultural area, northwest China. Environ Earth Sci 71:3465–3475. doi:10.1007/s12665-013-2736-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xiaoyu G, Zailin H, Yining B, Shaoyuan F, Guanhua H, Haibin S, Zhongyi Q (2015) Soil salt and groundwater change in flood irrigation field and uncultivated land: a case study based on 4-year field observations Environ. Earth Sci 73:2127–2139

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Xu C, Yang X, Li Y, Wang W (2011) Changes of China agricultural climate resources under the background of climate change III. Spatiotemporal change characteristics of agricultural climate resources in Northwest Arid Area. Chin J Appl Ecol 03:763–772

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou H, Chen Y, Li W (2010) Soil properties and their spatial pattern in an oasis on the lower reaches of the Tarim River, northwest China. Agric Water Manag 97:1915–1922

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Current research was supported by the CAS (Visiting Fellowship for Researchers from Developing Countries, Grant No. 2013FFZA0010).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 818 South Beijing Road, Urumqi, 830011, People’s Republic of China

    Karen Ghazaryan & Yaning Chen

  2. Department of Ecology and Nature Protection, Faculty of Biology, Yerevan State University, 1, Alex Manoogian St., Yerevan, 0025, Republic of Armenia

    Karen Ghazaryan

Authors
  1. Karen Ghazaryan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yaning Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Karen Ghazaryan.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Ghazaryan, K., Chen, Y. Hydrochemical assessment of surface water for irrigation purposes and its influence on soil salinity in Tikanlik oasis, China. Environ Earth Sci 75, 383 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-5287-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-016-5287-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation