What would be the effect of using an organic mix such as DAKOTA to help with problems associated with effluent water?
The use of effluent water increases the salinity and raises the leaching levels. By using a DAKOTA mix, it will lessen the impact of the salts. A Superintendent will have to do a fresh water flush, or an over water to get the salts below the rootzone.
When it is said it would lessen the impact, how exactly does it do that?
As soils dry, soluble salts concentrate in the remaining soil solution. The salinity of the soil solution, in turn, affects plant roots. One way to minimize the effects of salt is to manage water so as to avoid drought stress. This is easier to do in soils that retain some available water versus soils that retains very little water. So it's easier to keep a silt loam soil moist than it is a sandy soil. And it is easier to keep a soil with higher organic matter moist than it is a low organic matter soil. So, increasing the organic matter level of the soil with DAKOTA enough to raise the soil's water-holding capacity will make it easier to avoid drought stress and its impacts on salinity.
The use of effluent water increases the salinity and raises the leaching levels. By using a DAKOTA mix, it will lessen the impact of the salts. A Superintendent will have to do a fresh water flush, or an over water to get the salts below the rootzone.
When it is said it would lessen the impact, how exactly does it do that?
As soils dry, soluble salts concentrate in the remaining soil solution. The salinity of the soil solution, in turn, affects plant roots. One way to minimize the effects of salt is to manage water so as to avoid drought stress. This is easier to do in soils that retain some available water versus soils that retains very little water. So it's easier to keep a silt loam soil moist than it is a sandy soil. And it is easier to keep a soil with higher organic matter moist than it is a low organic matter soil. So, increasing the organic matter level of the soil with DAKOTA enough to raise the soil's water-holding capacity will make it easier to avoid drought stress and its impacts on salinity.
