Moisture and nitrate variation in electrochemically-controlled drip irrigation system in sandy soil

Salt accumulation in soils of arid areas is usually attributed to the quality of irrigation water, soil characteristics, type of irrigation system, and the current irrigation practices. The buildup of salts in the root zones can adversely impact the crop production. The addition of chemicals to crops is a common cause of groundwater contamination as chemicals are usually applied in conjunction with irrigation. Over application of irrigation water can transport chemicals into underlying aquifers and render them unfit for human consumption. In United Arab Emirates "UAE", most of the irrigation water is applied using drip irrigation systems. This study presents the experimental results of electro-kinetic method applied to manage the nitrate migration under variable saturation conditions in sandy soil representative of the UAE conditions. The nitrate is considered here as a representative of the nitrogen existing in the utilized fertilizers. A number of experiments were conducted evaluating the system performance subjected to different conditions. These included level of soil compaction, soil washing, and levels of applied currents. The results show that the electro-kinetic process was efficient in retaining and concentrating the soil nitrate near the anode. Observations and analyses of the results are discussed to better understand the salts electro-migration under the impact of investigated conditions.