Effects of Trenches Filled with Compost or Tuff on some Properties of a Clayey Soil Irrigated with Secondary Treated Waste Water.

Irrigation with secondary treated waste water (TWW) may harm soils, especially clayey ones, through increasing soil salinity and sodicity that subsequently impair its physical and hydraulic properties. We compared the effects of TWW-irrigated  compost and tuff trenches placed in an almond orchard of Kibutz Lavee, Israel, on  properties of a clayey soil to those of TWW or fresh water (FW) irrigation.  Both types of trenches did not reduce soil sodicity (expressed in terms of sodium adsorption ratio, SAR). Compost trenches had no effect on soil salinity while the Tuff ones reduced salinity.  Compost trenches increased soil water content and oxygen concentration, whereas Tuff increased aeration but not soil water content. All treatments irrigated with TWW did not improve aggregate stability relative to irrigation with FW. We conclude that compost and tuff trenches could be considered as solutions for enhancing aeration in the root zone and thus potentially improve crop performance.