Some areas of California are prone to salt damage. Within Merced County, common salt affected areas include the Livingston/Atwater/Hilmar area. The soils in these areas are coarse (Sand to Loamy Sand) and, when irrigated with well water, accumulate high levels of sodium. In other places of California, which include areas of the San Joaquin Valley and Lower Sacramento Valley, sodium, chloride, and boron can be problematic.
Salt burn is typically identified by tissue analysis. This analysis can be through visual or analytical observations. Leaf sampling in Mid-July can be compared to UC critical values to determine the relative level of salt. Severe salt burn appears late in the summer, with leaf tips burning back. Trees severely affected can look golden in appearance and, in some cases, lose their leaves. Once salt burn is visually observed in the tree, considerable crop loss has already occurred. Annual leaf sampling can help determine if salt levels are increasing and if salt reduction strategies are needed (leaching, buffering water, etc.).
Salts dissolved in the soil water reduce growth and yield by osmotic or toxic effects. Osmotic effects are the processes that most commonly reduce growth and yield. Within a root zone unaffected by high levels of salt, the concentration of ions are higher within the root than in the soil. Through the process of osmosis, water moves from the soil into the plant. As the salinity of the soil increases, the difference between the concentration of ions between the plant and soil decreases, slowing the rate of water movement by osmosis, making water less available to the plant. To prevent this from occurring, the plant responds by making more sugars or organic acids or accumulating salts, raising the concentration of salts in the root. These processes use energy that could of been directed to the crop, reducing growth and yield, but otherwise yielding a plant that appears healthy.
Toxic effects of salts are more noticed because of the visibility of the occurrence through scorched leaves. This occurs when salts within the soil water are absorbed by the roots and accumulate within the plant’s leaves. The concentration of the salt continues to increase and eventually becomes toxic, resulting in tissue death of leaf tips and margins. Salt burn can also occur when water high in salts is sprayed onto the leaves In these cases, the salt is absorbed into the leaf through the surface, and accumulates to a toxic level within the plant cells.
Almonds planted on soils affected by sodium, chloride, and boron tend to have stunted growth and late season leaf burn. These conditions negatively affect yields, thus making the application of salinity management practices necessary. The next few entries will focus on strategies to help reduce salt and discuss the genetic tolerance of salts amongst rootstocks.
Reference: Gratton, Stephen. 1993. “How Plants Respond to Salts.” Agricultural Salinity and Drainage. Pgs 3-4.University of California Irrigation Program, University of California, Davis.
Anonymous
September 15, 2010As more San Joaquin Valley farmers and irrigation districts tap into ground water the sodium levels will continue to increase. Sensitive varieties like Mission and Fritz are the “canary in the coal mine”. I tested my well water for sodium and found the level 12 times higher than TID ditch water. I switched over to pumping ditch water in 2008 and only use well water for frost protection.
The Almond Doctor
September 15, 2010Thanks for the comment. I will provide more about the use of irrigation water and how quickly salts can build up in the soil when using poor quality water – so stay tuned. I will also address the variety issue you mentioned (what little research data we have), as well as discuss rootstocks.
Anonymous
September 17, 2010Thank you for addressing this topic! We are really looking forward to the future entries on how to correct this problem.
aji
September 18, 2010great article, but have not had any information on how to fix the salt problem, look forward to your future postings.
The Almond Doctor
September 18, 2010Thank you both for your feedback. I will address salt management within the orchard here shortly.
Water analysis and applying a leaching fraction for saline conditions - The Almond Doctor
November 10, 2012[…] discussed previously, sodium and chloride build-up in soils can cause crop loss by stunting plant growth. While much […]
Kp
October 9, 2014I am trying to find the link for the UC critical values that you have mentioned in the article. However it seems to be broken, can you please provide that link. Additionally it seems a few of the links in articles don’t seem to be working. Whenever you get a chance can you please take a look?
Thanks! BTW great articles.
David Doll
October 27, 2014KP:
Sorry for the delay. Here is a link to the UC Critical values for Mid-July:
https://thealmonddoctor.com/2014/07/04/leaf-analysis-salinity-monitoring/
See Table 1 at the bottom of the article.
Thanks,
David
Salt Burn v/s Leaf Scorch - The Almond Doctor
December 30, 2014[…] The Almond Doctor, 2010: Salt Burn and Stunted Growth… […]
Post-harvest Leaching Fractions to Refill Soil Moisture Levels - The Almond Doctor
August 16, 2021[…] Many orchards relied on groundwater at some point through this year. This may have been sourced directly from a well on the property, or from wells within an irrigation district. Groundwater often contains elevated levels of salt, in particular sodium and chloride. These salts accumulate in the soil from the irrigations that occur during the season. Due to almond roots generally excluding salts, salt levels within the soil could climb as high as 10-15 times the concentration of the irrigation water within a single season. These higher levels of salt will impact growth and productivity as well as lead to tissue toxicity a…. […]
Post-harvest Leaching Fractions to Manage Soil Salinity - The Almond Doctor
August 16, 2021[…] Many orchards relied on groundwater at some point through this year. This may have been sourced directly from a well on the property, or from wells within an irrigation district. Groundwater often contains elevated levels of salt, in particular sodium and chloride. These salts accumulate in the soil from the irrigations that occur during the season. Due to almond roots generally excluding salts, salt levels within the soil could climb as high as 10-15 times the concentration of the irrigation water within a single season. These higher levels of salt will impact growth and productivity as well as lead to tissue toxicity a…. […]