WSP06234

• File Number: 8271.300
• Description: Colorado River Basin Salinity Control Program - General Information and Publications-Reports
• Basin: Colorado Mainstem
• Water Division: 5
• Date: 2/1/1974
• Title: Salinity Management Options for the Colorado River
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Report/Study

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utilizing water of 1,350 ppm, no significant difference was roted in germination

of lettuce, cabbage, carrots, onions, sugar beets, and alfalfa as compared to

the water with the present Colorado salinity 900 ppm. Because the use of

sprinklers has become a standard practice on most of the vegetables in this

study and has been used commercially on sugar beets and alfalfa, it will be

assumed that the practice will continue in these crops and that they will

experience no failure in emergence, Sprinkler irrigation has also been utilized

effectively on wheat, cotton, barley, and sorghum. However, the relatively high

tolerance of these crops to salinity Indicates that sprinklers will probably not

be needed for germination of these crops on soils other than the Imperial clay.

Salt Tolerance of Crops

Cotton. Kovda (1947) found that cotton was stunted by 8.5 g/l NaCl water

and that fiber lengths were reduced about 3 mm from the normal and that the

index of strength was reduced by 0.5 g. Stroginov (1962) pointed out the

physiological differences of cotton grown in S04-CI waters. Passerini and

Galli (1927) found cotton to be tolerant of 3 g/l solution of CI. Grillot

(1954) indicated that cotton could tolerate 6-8 parts of NaCI per 1,000 of

dry earth. Kovda (1973) stated,

"Di fferences among varlou~ crops are compared by
determining the soil salinity level (measured as
electrical conductivity of the saturation extract)
at which crop yields are reduced by 5~!o from yields
on non-saline soils under comparable growing condi-
tions. Some investigators have used a 20 or 25%
reduction or other criteria for making similar com-
parisons. In spite of the differences in methods
of evaluating salt tolerances, there is a high degree
of agreement among most lists."

He then produced Bernstein's 1964 table of tolerance. The crops which are
being considered in this report will be evaluated from the data given in the
California Committee of Consultants (1974) which has modified the work of
Bernstein.
Leaching as a Means of Salt Removal
Experiment of Bigger and Nielsen (1962), Wilson (1963), Willardson (1972)
showed that intermittant leaching was more efficient in removing soil salt
per unit of water applied. Talsma (1967) summed things up as follows:

"Analysis of results shows that during the ponding
stage desalinization proceeds more rapidly near the
drains than midway between, while during the fail-
ing water stage desalinization is more even over

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