Effects of Long-term Use of Saline Irrigation Water with Ca/Mg<1 on Soil Chemical Properties and Ionic Composition of Fertile Pistachio Trees in Yazd Province

Document Type : Research

Authors

1 Assistant prof., Faculty member, National Salinity Research Center (NSRC), Agricultural Research, Education ‎and Extension ‎Organization (AREEO), Yazd, Iran‎‏.‏‎

2 Associate Prof., Faculty member, National Salinity Research Center (NSRC), Agricultural Research, Education ‎and Extension ‎Organization (AREEO), Yazd, Iran‎‏.‏‎‎

3 Yazd Agricultural and Natural Resources Research Center, Education ‎and Extension ‎Organization (AREEO), Yazd, Iran.

4 Yazd Province Agricultural Jahad Organization ‎, Yazd, Iran

Abstract

Calcium and magnesium are essential nutrients for plant growth due to their critical roles in cellular structure and physiological processes. They, however, exhibit different performances in soil solution, which turns Ca/Mg ratio into a key parameter for evaluating irrigation water quality and saturated soil extracts. In this study, the impacts of irrigation water with a calcium-to-magnesium (Ca/Mg) ratio of less than 1 were investigated on 15 fertile pistachio orchards to evaluate soil chemical properties as well as the uptake and distribution of these elements within plants. Results revealed that sodium, calcium, and magnesium served as dominant cations contributing to salinity in the water and soil samples examined. Moreover, variations in soil salinity at different depths were found to be directly associated with irrigation water salinity. Despite the presence of large amounts of lime in the soils tested, a positive correlation was observed between Ca/Mg ratios in both soil and irrigation water; however, no consistent relationship was identified between electrical conductivity (EC) of saturated soil extracts and Ca/Mg ratio of soil solutions, nor between electrical conductivity and Ca/Mg ratios of irrigation water. Leaf and root sample examinations demonstrated that, unlike magnesium concentrations, those of calcium were below the optimal threshold levels for pistachio leaves in all the cases tested. Indeed, leaves exhibited higher magnesium concentrations than did the roots. Additionally, an inverse relationship was identified between calcium and magnesium levels in pistachio roots. Moreover, increases in soil magnesium and calcium levels were observed to enhance leaf magnesium and root calcium, respectively. Foliar application of calcium-based fertilizers and soil amendment may be recommended for pistachio orchards with Ca/Mg<1 in the irrigation water applied

Keywords

References

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Land Management Journal
Volume 13, Issue 2
January 2026
Pages 161-174

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