Salinity Inventory and Tolerance Screening in Utah Agriculture

• Main Author: Hawks, Austin McCoy
• Format: Others
• Published: DigitalCommons@USU 2009
• Subjects: Basin-scale; Electromagnetic induction; EMI; Salinity inventory; Salinity tolerance screening; Strawberry; Soil Science
• Online Access: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd/546; https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1542&context=etd

Soil salinity, a yield-limiting condition, has plagued crop production for centuries by reducing crop productivity. Research has introduced methods for successfully managing soil salinity. This research discusses the adaptation of established management methods to create new soil salinity management techniques. One adapted technique is an automated crop screening apparatus. A new design was created and successfully used in rapidly screening two strawberry cultivars to determine their tolerance to salinity. Screening crops and determining their tolerance to yield-limiting conditions are essential in managing soil salinity. Another salinity management tool used in this research was electromagnetic induction (EMI). EMI was used to complete a basin-scale inventory over an 18,000 ha study area in Cache County, Utah. The data obtained during the inventory were used to create EMI calibration models and a basin-scale map showing the spatial distribution of apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa). These new methods for crop tolerance screenings and basin-scale salinity inventories will assist in successfully managing soil salinity and decrease its effect on the global food supply.