Approach of water–salt regulation using micro-sprinkler irrigation in two coastal saline soils

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate whether saline silt and sandy loam coastal soils could be reclaimed by micro-sprinkler irrigation. The experiments were run using moderately salt-tolerant tall fescue grass. Micro-sprinkler irrigation in three stages was used to regulate soil matric potential at a 20-cm soil depth. Continued regulation of soil water and salt through micro-sprinkler irrigation consistently resulted in an increasingly large low-salinity region. The application of the three stages of soil water–salt regulation resulted in an absence of salt accumulation throughout the soil profile and the conversion of highly saline soils into moderately saline soils. There were increases in the plant height, leaf width, leaf length, and tiller numbers of tall fescue throughout the leaching process. The results showed that micro-sprinkler irrigation in three soil water and salt regulation stages can be used to successfully cultivate tall festuca in highly saline coastal soil. This approach achieved better effects in sandy loam soil than in silt soil. Tall fescue showed greater survival rates in sandy loam soil due to the rapid reclamation process, whereas plant growth was higher in silt soil because of effective water conservation. In sandy loam, soil moisture should be maintained during soil reclamation, and in silt soil, soil root-zone environments optimal for the emergence of plants should be quickly established. Micro-sprinkler irrigation can be successfully applied to the cultivation of tall fescue in coastal heavy saline soils under a three-stage soil water–salt regulation regime.