Impact of a Gel Conditioner and Water Quality upon Soil Infiltration.

Abstract

The interactive effects of 0.0, 0.4, and o.8 % for a gel conditioner, Jalma, and four waters: salt solution (SS), distilled (DW), natural sewage (SW), and well (WW) waters on swelling (S), effective mean pore radius (r ), water penetrability (), diffusivity (D), and weighted-mean diffusivity (D ) in loamy sand and loam columns were investigated. The diffusivities of water in untreated soil columns were nearly independent of water quality. In general, for both soils, S decreased, and r, , andD increased with increase in water salinity and decrease in % Jalma. For the loamy sand  of SS, WW, SW, and DW were reduced, respectively by 15, 39, 45, and 55% due to the addition of 0.4% Jalma and by 15, 52,69, and 83% due to addition of 0.8% Jalma compared to untreated control. It was concluded that 0.4% Jalma is the optimum rate when sewage (EC = 1.6 dS m-1) other waters of low salinity are used for irrigation and 0.8% Jalma when well water (EC = 6.4 dS m-1) is used. When the irrigation water is of high salinity (EC = 42.5 dS m-1), use of this gel conditioner is not recommended. Effective mean pore radius proved to be a reliable predictor of the multiple effects of texture, % Jalma and water salinity on  and D