ABSTRACT
Ineffective irrigation practices that fail to control salts contribute to a loss of 10 million hectares (25 million acres) of arable land annually, resulting in soil salinization or sodification in the world (Essington, 2004; Umali, 1993; Talsma and Philip, 1971). Currently, 5% of global arable land and 23% of cultivated lands are saline, and 8% of arable and 39% of cultivated sites are already sodic (Essington, 2004). Unquestionably, poor irrigation water management has directly caused and will continue to cause salt accumulation and the subsequent escalation of soil secondary salinization sites on a global basis (Umali, 1993). Because recreational turfgrass has been relegated to use of alternative water resources with varying levels of salinity, the threat of increasing salinization and sodification on these sites will continue unless ongoing and proactive salt management is implemented.
