The influence of the salt content of two contrasting water sources (river and shallow well) on the hydraulic attributes of a clay loam Fluvic Inceptisol were tested. The experiment was carried out in 2000/2001 agricultural year on a 5,000 m² plantation of Musa sp banana, cultivar pacovan. It consisted of a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement of two water sources and three irrigation levels (L1, L2 and L3), applied via microsprinkling. Results showed that the different irrigation levels and water quality did not influence the hydraulic conductivity significantly. Soil water retention curves presented variations in the moisture content retained below field capacity during the dry season, while differences were observed in the tensions above field capacity during the rainy season. The predominance of silt and clay combined with the expansion and contraction cycles of the investigated soil probably determined the expression of the evaluated hydraulic properties since the levels of the electrolyte concentration and the soil Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) were not high enough to influence the analyzed variables.
salinity; sodicity; hydraulic conductivity
