ABSTRACT
Acknowledgment .......................................................................................................................... 252 References ..................................................................................................................................... 253
In many arid regions, the use of irrigation has caused the loss of formerly productive land through waterlogging, salinization, and increased organic content, leading to the abandonment of cultivated fields. Soil salinity is one of the most common soil degradation processes, particularly in arid and semiarid areas (Rhoades, 1990; Ceuppens et al., 1997). Moreover, the use of effluent and drainage water for irrigation purposes, mostly in clayey soils, leads to increased precipitation of evaporite minerals (Ghabour and Dales, 1993). This is critical in places where the water table is high and evaporation is significant. Often, an increase in soil salinity is followed by an increase in sodicity (Rhoades, 1990). The latter increases the dispersion of soil particles and destruction of the soil structure and causes the formation of crust on the soil surface, which leads to soil erosion and degradation.
