Soil & Water Res., 2016, 11(2):97-104 | DOI: 10.17221/81/2015-SWR

Effects of irrigated agriculture on water and soil quality (case perimeter Guelma, Algeria)Original Paper

Nora KACHI1, Slimane KACHI2, Houria BOUSNOUBRA3
1 Department of Natural Sciences and Life and
2 Department of Biology, Faculty of Nature and Life Sciences and Earth and Universe Sciences, University May 8, 1945, Guelma, Algeria
3 Department of Geology, Faculty of Earth Sciences and Agronomy, University Badji Mokhtar, Annaba, Algeria$2

In Algeria, more than 20% of irrigated soils are concerned by the problem of salinity. In the perimeter of Guelma, the results showed that the soils have low salinity despite of high electrical conductivity (1244 µS/cm) of irrigation water and increased organic matter, nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus contents. It should be noted that the soils had exhibited higher salinity and low organic matter content before starting the irrigation in 1973. The reduction in the salt content is due to the leaching of salts from percolated water after the intensive irrigation; however, the increase in the content of organic matter can be explained by the accumulation of the organic matter transported by irrigation water, conditions of waterlogging, and types of crops (vegetable/cereals). As to the quality of groundwater, nitrate is the dominant nitrogen component entering groundwater and it is very alarming that by 45% of water sources (springs, wells, and boreholes) the nitrate contents are over 50 mg/l. It is a serious problem because it serves as a drinking water supply for the local population. Moreover, this water is highly mineralized (electric conductivity > 1000 µS/cm) because of the intensive use of artificial fertilizers and to the poor quality of water irrigation. The contamination by organochlorine pesticides is below the value admitted by the WHO for water resources. Endosulfan is the most dominant active ingredient with an average concentration of 0.066 µg/l.

Keywords: agricultural intensification; contamination; fertilizers; irrigation; organochlorine pesticides

Published: June 30, 2016  Show citation

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KACHI N, KACHI S, BOUSNOUBRA H. Effects of irrigated agriculture on water and soil quality (case perimeter Guelma, Algeria). Soil & Water Res. 2016;11(2):97-104. doi: 10.17221/81/2015-SWR.
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