Drip Irrigation of Tomatoes and Cotton in Saline Soil

A study in a commercial field evaluated the response of processing tomato and cotton to drip irrigation under shallow, saline ground water conditions at depths less than 1 m using a randomized block experiment with four irrigation treatments of different water applications for both crops. Measurements included crop yield and quality, soil salinity, soil water content, soil water potential, and canopy coverage. Results showed drip irrigation of processing tomato to be highly profitable under these conditions; however yield decreased as applied water decreased. No yield response of cotton to applied water occurred indicating that as applied water decreased, cotton uptake of the shallow ground water increased. While a water balance showed no field-wide leaching, salinity data clearly showed salt leaching around the drip lines.