Characterization of Soil Salinity in Texas Permian Basin Subsurface Drip Irrigated Cotton and Evaluation of Experimental Remedies

Cotton is produced on millions of irrigated acres, many of them are salt affected due to poor quality of irrigation water and evaporation, especially in semi-arid environments.  Due to recent drought and increased irrigation, salinity problems are intensifying in West Texas.  Traditional recommendations for salinity treatments are centered around leaching salt below the root zone with extra or better quality water.  As quality water becomes more expensive and scare, other technologies are needed to mediate these conditions with less water.  Additional remedies are needed with subsurface drip irrigation as salts accumulate above the drip tape and cannot be leached.  Soil sampling has identified salt stratification within the cotton beds at different rooting depths with the highest concentrations on the top of the bed. Four remedies were explored during the 2014 cropping season. These commercial products did not produce significantly greater stand counts or lint yields compared to the untreated check.