Search results for "Salinity"

Hydrogeochemistry and Water Balance in the Coastal Wetland Area of “Biviere di Gela,” Sicily, Italy

2006

In the study area physical and chemical factors control the composition of surface and groundwaters, which in turn determine the water quality of the "Biviere di Gela" lake. These factors combine to create diverse water types which change their compositional character spatially as rainfall infiltrates the soil zone, moves down a topographically defined flow path, and interacts with bedrock minerals. Low-salinity waters, which represent the initial stage of underground circulation, start dissolving calcium carbonate from the local rocks. The progressive increase in salinity, characterized by substantially higher Ca, SO4, Na and Cl concentrations, suggests that dissolution of CaSO4 and NaCl i…

Preliminary assessment of an integrated SMOS and MODIS application for global agricultural drought monitoring

2020

An application of the Soil Moisture Agricultural Drought Index (SMADI) for global agricultural drought monitoring is presented. The index integrates surface soil moisture from the Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission with the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) land surface temperature (LST) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and allows for global drought monitoring at medium spatial scales (0.05°). Biweekly maps of SMADI were obtained from year 2010 to 2015 over all agricultural areas on Earth. The SMADI time-series were compared with state-of-the-art drought indices over the Iberian Peninsula. Results show a good agreement between SMADI and the …

Paleoceanographic and paleoenvironmental changes in the Red Sea during the Messinian/Zanclean: new data from Site 225.

2013

Effects of foliar application of glycine betaine and chitosan on Puccinellia distans (Jacq.) Pari, subjected to salt stress.

2019

Introduction:Using brackish water for irrigation may expose turfgrasses to salinity stress.Employing the best treatments to maintain high-quality turfs under saline conditions is animportant requirement for turfgrass management.Methods:We tested the response of ahalophyte grass,Puccinellia distans, to irrigation with saline solutions and to foliarapplication of two osmoprotectants, such as glycine betaine (GB) or chitosan (CH). Plantswere grown in pots under controlled conditions and irrigated with 200 mM or 600 mM ofNaCl solutions. The response to salinity treatments and osmoprotectant application wasevaluated after 90 days by measuring leaffiring, leaf density, shoot length and biomass, r…

Wastewater management using a pilot-scale horizontal subsurface flow system in Western Sicily (Italy) for irrigation of Paspalum vaginatum Sw. turf

2017

The reuse of treated wastewater represents an attractive prospect for sustainable water management in urban areas. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reuse of treated wastewater from constructed wetland systems for the irrigation of Seashore paspalum turf (Paspalum vaginatum Sw.) and assess the effects of treated wastewater on the soil and turfgrass. The research was carried out in Sicily (Italy) in a pilot-scale horizontal subsurface flow system (HSSF). Seashore paspalum plots were irrigated with freshwater and treated wastewater. In treated wastewater-irrigated plots, we estimated the amounts of nitrogen and potassium, supplied by irrigating with treated wastewater. The productive …

Investigating soil-plant relationships for sustainable management of irrigation with saline water in a Sicilian vineyard.

2009

Water demand is increasing worldwide. In regions affected by water scarcity such as those located in the Mediterranean basin, water supplies are already degraded, or subjected to degradation processes, which worsen the shortage of water. In such regions, competition for scarce water resources among users will inevitably reduce the supplies of freshwater available for crop irrigation. Detailed studies and experimental projects are needed to develop management scenarios aimed at preventing desertification and conflicts for use of the increasingly limited water resources and cultivable land. This paper illustrates soil-plant responses to irrigation with saline water in a Sicilian vineyard loca…

Monitoring Soil Salinisation as a Strategy for Preventing Land Degradation: A Case Study in Sicily, Italy

2010

Water demand is increasing worldwide. In regions affected by water scarcity such as those located in the Mediterranean basin, water supplies are already degraded, or subjected to degradation processes, which worsen the water shortage. In Sicily, the increasing scarcity of good quality water is expanding irrigation with saline-sodic waters, thus enhancing the risk of secondary salinization and sodification. Adequate management practices are urgently needed for sustainable use of saline/sodic waters. This chapter illustrates how the Geonics EM-38 probe was used for monitoring salinization in a Sicilian area where irrigation with saline water is increasingly practiced, and the risk of salinisa…

Plant response to irrigation with saline water in a Sicilian vineyard: results of a three-years field investigation

2012

This paper reports the results of a three-year field investigation carried out in a vineyard located in Sicily (Mazara del Vallo, Trapani) within the framework of the Project: Evolution of cropping systems as affected by climate change (CLIMESCO). Research investigated soil-plant response to irrigation performed with water having two different salinity levels; soil hydrological characteristics, soil salinity, crop transpiration and stomatal conductance were measured in field plots. The results proved that crop transpiration and stomatal conductance were significantly affected by soil salinity conditions (expressed as electrical conductivity of the soil saturated water extract). A significan…

Effectiveness of glycinebetaine foliar application in relieving salt stress symptoms in two turf-grasses

2014

Salinity is one of the problems that has to be dealt with in turf-grass management, due both to restrictions in freshwater use for landscape irrigation and exposition to salt stress in coastal areas. This has led to the need to select salinity tolerant genotypes and test management practices, such as the application of osmoprotectants, in order to maintain turf quality at acceptable costs. We compared the effects of irrigation with 600 mM NaCl and glycinebetaine (GB) application for 8 weeks on pot-grown weeping alkaligrass (Puccinellia distans (L.) Parl.) and tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.). We selected two easily assessable parameters, total clippings fresh weight and chlorophyll…

The effect of saline water on Phillyrea angustifolia L. seedlings

2013

Water limitations in the Mediterranean areas are very common and the use of saline water for plant irrigation is becoming a necessity. Salinity generally affects plant growth and physiological processes, and can eventually lead to leaf injuries and plant death. For these reasons, the selection of salt tolerant species is a priority for landscaping purposes in the Mediterranean areas. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of saline water on Phillyrea angustifolia plant performance. Seventy-five rooted cuttings were grown in the greenhouse in 4-liter pots and irrigated for 5 months with saline water at different NaCl concentrations for two consecutive years. In 2010, 45 plant…