Saltirsoil-M

Fernando Visconti Reluy
Instituto Valenciano de Investigaciones Agrarias-IVIA (GV)
Crta. Moncada-Nàquera km. 4.5, 46113 Moncada (València, Spain)
Website
http://www.uv.es/fervisre/saltirsoil_m.html
Description
The SALTIRSOIL_M (SALTs in IRrigated SOILs Monthly) model is a one-dimensional, tipping-bucket, monthly transient-state soil model aimed at simulating salinity in well-drained salt-threatened irrigated lands. Specifically SALTIRSOIL_M simulates the main inorganic ion contents (Na+, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Cl-, SO42-, NO3- and alkalinity), plus the pH and electrical conductivity at 25 ºC (EC25) of the soil solution at different soil depths, and different soil-to-water ratios, specifically water saturation, field capacity and field moisture. This includes the simulation of both the saturation extract, which is the standard for the assessment of soil salinity, and the drainage water from the irrigated field. The model integrates two main modules: a downward water flux module, and a chemical equilibrium module. With the water module, the model simulates the water balance in the soil on a monthly time step, and for annual rotations and multiannual crops. As a result it calculates the irrigation water concentration in the soil solution each month. With the chemical equilibrium module, the model calculates the main inorganic ion composition of the concentrated irrigation water within the soil pores at equilibrium with calcite and gypsum minerals in the amounts present and also soil CO2. Finally, the model assesses the EC25 of the soil solution from the main inorganic ion concentration data. The model has been designed to perform simulations in batch linked to a Microsoft Access© database from which all input data are read, and in which all output data are saved. Its target users are mainly engineers, economists, extension specialists, and water and land managers and planners at various scales from the farm to the region, but also scientists. The model has been integrated in a GIS platform to perform soil salinity predictions in the context of the climate change. The model has been also integrated within the on-line decision support system DSS-SALTIRSOIL for water management recommendation in salt-threatened lands in the Valencian Community (E Spain).
Screen shots
Scientific articles
Visconti, F., de Paz, J.M. Martínez, D., Molina, M.J. 2014. Irrigation recommendation in a semi-arid drip-irrigated artichoke orchard using a one-dimensional monthly transient-state model. Agricultural Water Management 138, 26-36.
Visconti, F., de Paz, J.M., Rubio, J.L., Sánchez, J. 2012. Comparison of four steady-state models of increasing complexity for assessing the leaching requirement in agricultural salt-threatened soils. Spanish Journal of Agricultural Research 10(1), 222-237.
Visconti, F., de Paz, J.M., Molina, M.J., Sánchez, J. 2012. Advances in validating SALTIRSOIL at plot scale: first results. Journal of Environmental Management 95 (Supplement), S31-S36.
Visconti, F., de Paz, J.M. 2012. Soil, Water and Crop Management for Agricultural Profitability and Natural Resources Protection in Salt-Threatened Irrigated Lands. In: (Ed. Manish Kumar) Problems, Perspectives and Challenges of Agricultural Water Management, Chp. 15, pp. 293-310. Intech, Rijeka (Croatia). ISBN 978-953-51-0117-8.
Visconti, F., de Paz, J.M., Rubio, J.L., Sánchez, J. 2011. SALTIRSOIL: a simulation model for the mid to long-term prediction of soil salinity in irrigated agriculture. Soil Use and Management 27(4), 523-537.
Visconti, F., de Paz, J.M., Rubio, J.L. 2010. An empirical equation to calculate soil solution electrical conductivity at 25 ºC from major ion concentrations. European Journal of Soil Science 61(6), 980-993.
Technical information
Operating system(s): Windows
Licence: Owner
Output(s): Each month and at whichever soil depths chosen by the user of i) main inorganic ion concentrations and electrical conductivity at 25ºC in the soil solution at different soil-to-water ratios, ii) soil water balance terms, and iii) mean soil water contents.
Export format(s): Microsoft Access© Database
Other information: Intuitive graphical user interface and use of Access allows for fast and easy setup of input data and simulations in batch mode.