Temporal and Spatial Assessment of Soil Salinity Post-Flood Irrigation: A Guide to Optimal Cotton Sowing Timing

Flood irrigation is often applied in the arid regions of Northwest China to facilitate leaching salts accumulated soil during cotton growth previous season. This will, turn, affect temporal and spatial patterns salinity, thus germination. To reveal salinity two layers (0–20 cm 20–60 cm), so as determine optimal sowing timing, an electronic ground conductivity meter (EM38-MK2) was employed measure apparent electrical-conductivity (ECa) on different days: 4 days prior flood irrigation, and, respectively, 6, 10, 15, 20, 45 after irrigation. Moreover, geostatistical analysis block kriging interpolation were analyze spatial-temporal variations introduced by Our results indicate that: (1) can be well inverted from binary first-order equations ECa at coils (i.e., ECa1.0 ECa0.5), demonstrating feasibility applying EM38-MK2 estimate field; (2) 0–20 layer significantly decreased first 15 with greatest rate 88.37%, but tended increase afterwards. However, persistently high before merely a brief decrease 10 highest 40.74%. (3) The semi-variance models illustrate that, sill value (C0 + C) sharply, Range increased, suggesting that not only reduces variability surface also enhances dependence layer. (4) correlation between very poor gradually enhanced Overall, for study year, timing when effects most efficient, overrode evaporation microtopography. Although directly applicable other years or regions, electromagnetic induction surveys spatiotemporal provide rapid viable guide help timing.