Much (32-84%) of the ground water surveyed in different Indian States is rated either saline or
alkali. Because of the continental monsoonal climate, the basic principles of saline water
management need some adaptation, e.g. providing for a leaching requirement is not appropriate
when the growing season for post-monsoon winter crops starts with a surface-leached soil profile,
because it would increase the salt load. High salinities during the initial stages of growth are
particularly harmful. Further, if benefits are to be gained from frequent saline irrigation, the
amount of water applied per irrigation needs to be reduced. This is not possible with most widely
practiced surface irrigation methods, but can be achieved with sprinkler and drip methods.
However, in India the large-scale use of such systems is not yet technically or economically
feasible. Another management goal is simultaneously to encourage the utilisation of carried over
rainwater in the soil profile/shallow water tables. Tolerance limits of crops to the use of saline
water in different agro-ecological regions of India are available, and have been observed to vary
with soil type, rainfall and anionic/cationic constituents of salinity. Multi-location trials on the
appropriate use of saline and non-saline water reveal the benefits of irrigating with non-saline
canal water during the initial stages of growth, as well as cycles of saline and non-saline water
during the pre-sowing irrigation period. Monsoon-induced salt leaching decreases with increasing
clay content, SARi,, and is enhanced with increasing chloride salinity. Additional doses of
phosphorous to alleviate the effects of chloride toxicity, and the use of organic materials to
enhance the efficiency of applied nitrogen are recommended under saline-irrigated conditions.
Contrary to the general belief that soils irrigated with high-SAR saline water may regain their
infiltration capacity when the electrolytic concentration of ingoing water is greater than the
flocculation value, irreversible reductions are induced under cyclic saline-rainwater infiltration
where sub-soil layers, ingressed with clays from the plough layer, control steady intake rates.
Thus, the use of gypsum (SARi, > 20) is advocated. Gypsum is also needed for soils irrigated
with saline water with an Mg:Ca ratio > 3 and rich in silica. Other cultural practices, such as
furrow planting, increasing the plant density and post-seeding irrigation in crops like mustard, also
prove useful. Water-quality standards which were too conservative have been replaced by
site-specific guidelines where factors such as soil texture, rainfall and crop tolerance have been
given due consideration.