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Assessing the on-farm effects of removing salts from irrigation water

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dc.contributor.authorShrestha, Sanskriti, author
dc.contributor.authorBailey, Ryan, advisor
dc.contributor.authorSharvelle, Sybil, committee member
dc.contributor.authorButters, Gregory, committee member
dc.date.accessioned2023-06-01T17:26:58Z
dc.date.available2023-06-01T17:26:58Z
dc.date.issued2023
dc.description.abstractIn dry and semi-arid places where precipitation is insufficient to sustain a regular percolation of water through the soil, salt-induced land degradation is frequent. Desalination of irrigation water is an emerging alternative that can be utilized to repurpose our salt-affected agricultural lands, thus providing an avenue for sustaining the growing production demands with limited water and land resources. Therefore, a combination of fieldwork, modeling and soil sensor records was implemented to evaluate the feasibility of an on-farm Reverse Osmosis (RO) system, in terms of crop yield and soil salinity, for the desalination of irrigation water over three growing periods. Four types of treatment systems were applied to 16 experimental field plots at the Arkansas Valley Research Center (Rocky Ford, CO), representing soil conditions of the Lower Arkansas River Valley (LARV), a region of which approximately 70% is affected by salt-induced crop yield loss. Statistical t-tests done on the data of the three seasons did not show any significant differences in the VMC, EC and biomass of the plots irrigated with the different treatments. Results of the tests for season 3, which showed an increase in t-values and a decrease in p-values demonstrated the need for a longer study period to gauge any significant effects. Similarly, the results of sensor data did not show a significant decrease in soil salinity for the study period. The average soil electrical conductivity (EC) showed a 20% to 26% reduction in soil salt mass in the fields irrigated with desalinated water over the three seasons, however, the EC results did not show a consistent decreasing trend across the 16 plots. A 6-year numerical modeling forecast done by the hydro-chemical model HYDRUS 1D simulating dry, average, and wet weather showed a 6% to 20% reduction in EC when desalination was applied to the fields. These preliminary results of the field and modeling approaches provide encouragement for the continuation of desalination treatments to see any substantial long-term effects.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediummasters theses
dc.identifierShrestha_colostate_0053N_17600.pdf
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10217/236555
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartof2020-
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.subjecton-farm desalination
dc.subjectsalinity
dc.subjectHYDRUS 1D
dc.subjectUNSATCHEM
dc.subjectRO desalination
dc.titleAssessing the on-farm effects of removing salts from irrigation water
dc.typeText
dcterms.rights.dplaThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
thesis.degree.disciplineCivil and Environmental Engineering
thesis.degree.grantorColorado State University
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science (M.S.)

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