Feasibility of cyclic reuse of saline drainage in a tomato-cotton rotation

Use of saline drainage water to irrigate crops has been proposed as a strategy to reduce drainage volume and conserve good quality water. Over a 6-yr period, two cyclic drainage water reuse practices were tested in a 3-yr rotation of processing tomato and cotton. When saline water was applied once every three years, yields of both crops were unaffected. Tomato yields were generally lowest when saline water was applied 2 out of 3 years. Changes in soil chemical and physical quality may limit long-term reuse. Calculations using reclamation formulae estimated that for low B drainage water, the amount of drainage water used exceeded that of nonsaline water needed to return soil EC_e to control levels, resulting in significant water savings.