Simultaneous transport of surface salts and water through unsaturated soils during infiltration and redistribution

Abstract

Abstract Certain concepts regarding the simultaneous transport of surface ‐salts and water under transient unsaturated flow conditions vere verified for three soils using laboratory soil columns. Treatments included different water application rates (i.e., continuous ponding and controlled rates) and different initial soil water contents. Calcium chloride, spread on the soil surface to simulate a salt‐affected soil or broadcasting of a fertilizer (or other additive), was leached with chloride free water (0.01 N CaSO4). Salt and water profiles were determined by destructive sampling at 2 cm depth intervals at two stages: (i) immediately following infiltration and (ii) after Batching infiltration plus redistribution time. Immediately following infiltration as well as after matching infiltration and redistribution time, chloride was leached more efficiently and to relatively deeper depths with slower than with faster rates of water application only in sandy and sandy loam soils. The results, thus, show that slower rates of water application nay not increase leaching efficiency over faster rates in heavy‐textured and sodic soils with very poor permeability. Regardless of water application rate, initial soil water content, redistribution time and soil type, salt front (i.e., salt peak) did not coincide with the water front but lagged behind it by a few to several centimetres. That is to say that salt peak did not occur at a depth above which total soil water storage in the profile equalled cumulative infiltration. The higher the initial soil water content, the deeper and more complete was the displacement of chloride during infiltration for a given quantity of water applied at different rates. This trend was not modified during post‐irrigation period in sandy soil, but it was entirely reversed in sandy loam soil.