Purpose: to analyze the water-salt regime of saline soils.
Materials and methods. Field and laboratory studies were conducted in saline soils at the experimental site of the Aral Sea Innovation Center in Karakalpakstan. To demonstrate the process of moisture-salt transfer over time, the cotton plot was equipped with a tensiometer cluster and a stationary salinity meter.
Results. It was determined that a complex system of interactions between salts and soil moisture which affects the soil suction power and, consequently, the ability of plants to consume water, and their potential water consumption exists in the soil. The resulting physical model of the interaction between soil moisture and salinity determines the soil moisture threshold at which salt dissolution is replaced by their leaching from the soil profile. The thermodynamic approach used in the research identifies different energy status of soil water, directly dependent on the type of soil moisture category and the availability of its participation in the water balance of crops. The presence of salts in the soil creates an osmotic potential and reduces water availability for plants. In modeling for root zone forecasting, the osmotic potential can be used as an indicator of salinity.
Conclusions. The purpose of water-salt regime control is to determine the interactions under various conditions created by irrigation, including soil water potential, moisture, and salinity.
irrigation, water consumption, soil, plant, salinity, crop, modeling, the Aral Sea Basin, Karakalpakstan
Stulina G. V., Ishanov J. X. Water-salt regime of saline soils in Karakalpakstan. Ways of Increasing the Efficiency of Irrigated Agriculture. 2026;98(1):98–112. (In Russ.).
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