ABSTRACT
Water is one of the most important inputs for realising and sustaining high agricultural production. However, its management and quality are intimately related to the development of water logging and soil salinity. The most important criterion regarding salinity and therefore of water availability to the plant is the total salt concentration. The saline groundwaters occurring in arid and semi-arid zones commonly contain magnesium higher than Ca2+, though sodium is the most predominant cation. High concentration of soluble Silicon in the irrigation waters can lead to hard crust formation similar to that of high residual sodium carbonate waters and thus prevent seedling emergence. The salt content of surface water is a function of the kind of rocks prevalent in the water's course and the eventual pollution by human activities. The assessment of water quality criteria is based on the consideration of two related aspects, the possible effects on the physico-chemical properties of the soil and the impact on the crop yield.
