Irrigation systems in semi-arid regions with low humidity
Keywords
irrigation, water tables, salinization
Predecessor Patterns
. . . implementing this pattern will help maintain
Downstream Water Volume
if flushing the soil returns water from whence it came.
Problem Summary
When irrigation has no carry-off system, the evaporating
water deposits a gradual build-up of salinization,
which is eventually damaging to plant life.
Analysis
This problem is aggravated when water is scarce and high
frequency, low volume irrigation is utilized. This
increases the amount of water that evaporates in relation
to the amount of water that percolates through the soil,
flushing it of mineral residue. As the mineral content
of the soil increases, eventually commercially valuable
plants cannot grow well because:
the salts dehydrates the plant since the plant can't
extract water from the salty soil,
and/or
the salts accumulates in the plant severely damaging its
tissues.
Solution Summary
Therefore:
Reduce salts that accumulates per unit time by:
reducing the frequency of irrigation and on occaision
increasing the volume of water to flush the soil into the
water table
increasing the porocity of the soil, and
mulching the soil (depositing a substance that separates soil from
air).
Successor Patterns
(none) . . .
References/Sources
Author/Date
Ken Asplund and Gary Swift, March, 1973; last revision 7/16/96
