Effects of Saline Water Tables on Corn Irrigation

Hydraulic, weighing lysimeters were used for three years to measure the effect of high, saline water tables on irrigation requirement of corn. For each of the years corn was grown with no water table and with combinations of 60 and 105 cm (2. 0 and 3. 5 ft) water-table depths and 0. 66, 3. 0, and 6. 0 dS/m**3**/ water table salinity. The portion of total seasonal evapotranspiration supplied from the ground water was determined. Results indicate that water-table depth affects use by corn much more than the water-table salinities studied. The paper suggests modifications in surface applications of irrigation water when shallow water tables are present.