Tarek G. Ammari;Ragheb A. Tahhan;Samih Abubaker;Y. Al-Zu’bi;Alaedeen B. Tahboub;Rakad Ta’any;Saeid Abu-Romman;Naser Almanaseer;Mohammed Hashem Stietiy

Department of Plant Production and Protection, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Al-Balqa’ Applied University, Al-Salt (Jordan);Department of Land, Water and Environment, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Jordan, Amman (Jordan;Department of Natural Resources and Environment, Faculty of Agriculture, Jordan University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 3030, Irbid 22110 (Jordan);Department of Water Resources and Environmental Management, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Al-Balqa’ Applied University, Al-Salt (Jordan);Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Al-Balqa’ Applied University, Al-Salt (Jordan)

jv;soil salinity;soil samples;transect;cl;salin

The integrated effect of irrigation and agricultural practices on soil salinity in the Jordan Valley (JV), where over 60% of Jordan's agricultural produce is grown, was investigated in this study during 2009-2010. Due to the differences in agricultural operations, cropping patterns, irrigation management, and weather conditions, 206 top- and sub-soil samples were taken every 1 to 3 km from representative farms along a north-south (N-S) transect with 1 to 2 km lateral extents. Soil electrical conductivity of saturated extract (ECse), Ca, Mg, K, Na, Cl, and Na adsorption ratio (SAR) were determined in saturated paste extracts. Results indicated that about 63% of soils in the JV are indeed saline, out of which almost 46% are moderately to strongly saline. Along the N-S transect of the JV, ECse increased from 4.5 to 14.1 dS m(-1) in top-soil samples. Similar increase was observed for the sub-soil samples. The major chemical components of soil salinity; i.e., Ca, Mg, and Cl, also showed a similar increase along the N-S transect of the valley. Moreover, compared to previous field sampling, results showed that changes in soil salinity in the JV were dramatic. In addition, it was found that Cl imposed an existing and potential threat to sensitive crops in 60% of the soils in the JV, where Cl concentrations were greater than 710 mg L-1. Under the prevalent arid Mediterranean conditions, improving the management of irrigation water, crops, and nutrient inputs and increasing water and fertilizer use efficiencies should be indispensable to conserve and sustain the already fragile agricultural soils in the JV.