Soil Salinity - Page 10

Page 10 of 10

Best practice principles for the management and monitoring of soil salinity

Monitor the salinity status of the root zone
Manage subsoil constraints so that deep and vigorous root growth is encouraged
Monitor the depth and quality of groundwater using piezometers
Monitor the quality of irrigation water using an EC meter
When excess salt has to be leached from the root zone, aim to use the minimum possible amount of water (the leaching requirement)
Install surface or subsurface drain systems where appropriate
Maximise the use of rainwater, which usually has much less dissolved salt than irrigation water
Where irrigation water is stored in dams, do everything possible to minimize evaporation losses. Evaporation leads to an increase in the concentration of dissolved salts in the water that remains in the storage.
Minimise seepage losses from storage dams and evaporation basins, which may cause water tables to rise

Use crop varieties that maximise water use.
Grow healthy crops and pastures that will use more soil water. This includes controlling crop/pasture diseases, pests and weeds.
Introduce conservation farming techniques such as no-till, controlled traffic, and crop/pasture rotations, which will improve soil health and increase organic matter. Maintain soil fertility, pH and structure to encourage growth of high yielding crops.
Avoid long fallows and bare ground.
Mulch exposed ground where possible to help retain soil moisture.
Keep all remnant vegetation and establish new native vegetation.
Work with your neighbours, landcare and irrigation groups to develop sub-catchment and catchment strategies to manage groundwater.
Identify potential saline areas (can be done through an electromagnetic survey or a survey of pasture composition)
Monitor the watertable beneath the farm to determine if the watertable is rising and whether irrigation practices are efficient.
Plant salt-tolerant species/varieties in the problem areas and avoid over-grazing
Where possible, remove subsoil constraints so that deep and vigorous rooting is encouraged. This is particularly important for echarge areas
Maximise perennials in the farming system.

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