ABSTRACT
The temporal variability of salts in irrigation water and its effects on the soils of the Vereda Grande Project near the town of Boqueirão, Paraíba State, Brazil, were evaluated through stratified random sampling in three farmer lots. Sixty-six soil and thirty-three water samples were collected from January 1987 to December 1989. The water presented an increasing salinity risk with time and high levels of sodium and chloride (8,6 and 10,5 mmolc.L-1, respectively). The presence of Non-Calcic Brown and Litolic soils around the reservoir area prevents the improvement of the water quality, predisposing the irrigated soils to alkalization. Among the crops explored by the farmers, only fodder grasses are tolerant to saline concentration in the root zone. The considerable presence of bicarbonate (1 to 3.2 mmolc.L-1) in the water restricts the practice of sprinkle irrigation, mainly due to conditions of high evaporation, local aridness and specific toxicity of the sodium and chloride in sensitive plants.
Key words:
salinity; sodicity; non-calcic brown; alluvium