Reclamation of saline soils at Kerang, Victoria, by ponding and pumping from an aquifer

Abstract

Large areas of saline soils occur in the irrigation districts near Kerang in north-west Victoria. In the past, reclamation of these soils by leaching from intermittent irrigations has taken several years. The present work demonstrates- 1. The rapid reclamation of 2 1/2 acres of badly salted land by simultaneously ponding (fresh water) on the soil surface andpumping from a sand layer at 24feet. Thus, ten days of ponding and 56 hours of pumping from the aquifer reduced salinity in the top six inches of soil (0-6 in.) from 1.60 per cent NaCl to 0.05 per cent NaCl. Changes in soil p H and exchangeable cations, brought about by leaching and/or the we of gypsum, are reported. 2. The rapid leaching of salt from the surface soil of 2 acres of highly saline country by ponding alone.