Defining Effective Salt Leaching Regions Between Drains

The application of sufficient amounts of leaching water by means of an effective method is very important in the management and reclamation of saline and sodic soils. Reclamation cannot be achieved with insufficient leaching water application, while excess water application may cause severe problems in soil. Knowledge of the leaching regions and intensities may help to control the amounts of leaching water through effective leaching methods in areas of limited leaching. This study was undertaken to define the vertical and horizontal leaching regions between drains,using geostatistical methods under laboratory conditions. Vertical and horizontal distribution patterns of soil salinity following leaching indicated that salt leaching was most effective near the drains. Leaching was achieved at about 65%of the distance between the drains and the midpoint between the drains, where the soil salinity was less than 4 dS/m. Results of this study emphasize the application of different amounts of leaching water over drains and at the midpoint between drains.