Leaching of Accumulated Soil Salinity Under Drip Irrigation

ITRC conducted a reclamation leaching experiment in a drip-irrigated pistachio orchard south of Huron,California, during the winter of 2002-2003. The study was conducted to quantify the leaching water required to remove saltsfrom the effective root zone of trees. This experiment tested a new reclamation leaching technique: multiple lines of low-flowdrip tape were used to apply water to the area of salinity accumulation along a tree row. This new technique allows waterto be applied where there is salt accumulation along the tree row, as opposed to putting water on the entire area of the field.Since reclamation leaching requires a relatively large depth of water, this technique offers the potential for significant watersavings for reclamation leaching.