Irrigation Water – Quality Issues, Limits, and Way Forward

Abstract

Depending on how groundwater has been collected and used, the severity of the rainfall, and the following aquifer recharge, the quality of irrigation fluids differs between regions, nations, and even towns. In hot, arid regions with limited rainfall, the salinity of groundwater used for agriculture rises, limiting the variety of crops that may be produced. Therefore, determining the quality of the irrigation water is essential. How well water works for irrigation relies on how much and what kinds of soluble salts are present in the solution. In regard to the four fundamental standards of water salinity (electrical conductivity), sodium risk (sodium adsorption ratio-SAR), residual sodium carbonates (RSC), and ion toxicity, the amount and make-up of soluble salts in a solution are reviewed. We talk about the risks associated with boron and chlorides. For convenience, several plant species' boron tolerance levels are given. The updated water quality diagram created by the US Salinity Laboratory Staff in 1954 is the most significant section of this review. The salinity of most irrigation fluids is more than 2250 S cm-1, which is not represented in this picture. The water classification diagram was expanded to include salinities up to 30,000 S cm-1 in order to handle EC values larger than 2250 S cm-1. The categories for salinity and sodicity presented here can be used to select and manage crops in an educated manner. Methods for controlling water sodicity with gypsum and lowering water salinity by combining different waters are described with examples.