Effect of Soil Conditioning on the Moisture Content and the Salt Profile of the Soil Under Irrigation with Saline Water

Abstract The research work was started on the preliminary knowledge that the risk of secondary salinization is high in the hobby gardens around Karcag as the water of the aquifers used for irrigation is saline, nevertheless irrigation in the drought periods is essential for vegetable production. A complex experiment was set up in 12 simple drainage lysimeters at the lysimeter station of the Research Institute of Karcag in 2012 in order to simulate the conditions of irrigation characteristic in the region with the goal of finding a solution to mitigate the harmful effects by means of optimization of irrigation. In 2017–2018 three approaches were applied for the scientific establishment of the problem studying the effect of different irrigation frequencies, different irrigation water qualities, and soil conditioning on the moisture content and the salt profile of the soil. The soil conditioner (Neosol) applied was found to have a positive effect on the water and salt regime of the soil, partly by creating a more favourable vertical distribution of the soil water, and partly preserving more moisture in the soil.