Poor irrigation water quality can directly impact soil health, ultimately affecting the surrounding environment and hindering sustainable agricultural production. With this line in mind, a study was conducted to see the irrigation water quality, hydro-geochemistry, and their impact on soil exchangeable ions, which is a step towards achieving sustainable agriculture development goals. For this purpose, eighty-four groundwater and soil samples were collected from farmers’ fields in Central India. The irrigation water quality was tested with analysis of pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH), Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+, K+, Cl−, SO42−, CO32−, HCO3− sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), Na %, residual sodium carbonate (RSC), magnesium hazard ratio (MHR), Kelly ratio (KR), permeability index (PI), potential salinity (PS), and residual sodium bicarbonate (RSBC) in groundwater. The alkaline nature of groundwater was observed in the study area and reported as poor-quality irrigation water due to the high loading of PI, KR, MHR, RSC, and PS. It was noted that most of the ions in irrigation water were found in ideal condition when compared with FAO standards, except water pH (47.61%), water Mg2+ (1.19%), and water K+ (7.14%) exceeded limits. However, soil parameters were compared with USDA soil quality standards, where about 55.57% of soil pH and 4.76% of soil EC were found above the USDA soil quality standards. A correlation study indicated that irrigation water pH, EC, HCO₃⁻, Na⁺, Cl⁻, SAR, Na%, KR, and PS had a positive association with soil Na⁺ levels. This trend serves as an early indicator of sodium accumulation in the soil, which can contribute to soil degradation. For the hydrogeochemical analysis Piper, Gibbs, and other bivariate plots were used, which suggested irrigation water was dominated by Ca (Mg)- HCO3− type water. The ions in irrigation water primarily originated from silicate weathering and ion exchange processes resulting from rock–water interactions. This paper highlights that poor-quality irrigation water is an overlooked contributor to soil degradation and provides valuable insights for farmers, agriculturists, soil scientists, agronomists, and policymakers at both regional and global levels in advancing sustainable agricultural production. Graphical Abstract Groundwater and soil samples were collected from farmers’ fields of Central India to evaluate irrigation water quality, hydrogeochemical characteristics, and the impact of irrigation water on soil properties. Irrigation water quality was assessed through the analysis of various parameters including pH, EC, TDS, TH, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻, CO₃²⁻, HCO₃⁻, SAR, Na%, RSC, MHR, KR, PI, PS, and RSBC. This indicated that irrigation water pH (47.61%), K+ (7.14%), and Mg²⁺ (1.19%) samples exceeded the FAO standards for safe use in agriculture. Poor irrigation water quality was primarily attributed to high values of PI, KR, MHR, RSC, and PS. Hydrogeochemical analysis classified the irrigation water as Ca-Mg-HCO₃⁻ type, suggesting dominance of silicate weathering and ion exchange processes. Soil samples were analyzed for pH, EC, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, and K⁺ and key findings revealed that 55.57% of soil samples had pH levels and 4.76% had EC levels exceeding USDA soil quality standards. A correlation study between irrigation water and soil parameters demonstrated a positive relationship between soil sodium (Na) and irrigation water sodium (Na), indicating early signs of sodium accumulation in soil, which could threaten soil sustainability in the future due to the use of poor-quality irrigation water.

Impact of Poor-Quality Irrigation Water on Soil Systems: A Hydrogeochemical Study from Central India

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发表日期：

2025年9月2日

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Bharat Lal,
Satendra Singh Sengar,
Harish Kumar,
Abhishek Kumar Shukla,
Sagar Nandulal Ingle,
Sai Parasar Das,
Subhashisa Praharaj,
Muhammad Irfan Ahamad,
Siqi Lu

摘要

Poor irrigation water quality can directly impact soil health, ultimately affecting the surrounding environment and hindering sustainable agricultural production. With this line in mind, a study was conducted to see the irrigation water quality, hydro-geochemistry, and their impact on soil exchangeable ions, which is a step towards achieving sustainable agriculture development goals. For this purpose, eighty-four groundwater and soil samples were collected from farmers’ fields in Central India. The irrigation water quality was tested with analysis of pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), total hardness (TH), Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻, CO₃²⁻, HCO₃⁻ sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), Na %, residual sodium carbonate (RSC), magnesium hazard ratio (MHR), Kelly ratio (KR), permeability index (PI), potential salinity (PS), and residual sodium bicarbonate (RSBC) in groundwater. The alkaline nature of groundwater was observed in the study area and reported as poor-quality irrigation water due to the high loading of PI, KR, MHR, RSC, and PS. It was noted that most of the ions in irrigation water were found in ideal condition when compared with FAO standards, except water pH (47.61%), water Mg²⁺ (1.19%), and water K⁺ (7.14%) exceeded limits. However, soil parameters were compared with USDA soil quality standards, where about 55.57% of soil pH and 4.76% of soil EC were found above the USDA soil quality standards. A correlation study indicated that irrigation water pH, EC, HCO₃⁻, Na⁺, Cl⁻, SAR, Na%, KR, and PS had a positive association with soil Na⁺ levels. This trend serves as an early indicator of sodium accumulation in the soil, which can contribute to soil degradation. For the hydrogeochemical analysis Piper, Gibbs, and other bivariate plots were used, which suggested irrigation water was dominated by Ca (Mg)- HCO₃⁻ type water. The ions in irrigation water primarily originated from silicate weathering and ion exchange processes resulting from rock–water interactions. This paper highlights that poor-quality irrigation water is an overlooked contributor to soil degradation and provides valuable insights for farmers, agriculturists, soil scientists, agronomists, and policymakers at both regional and global levels in advancing sustainable agricultural production.

Graphical Abstract

Groundwater and soil samples were collected from farmers’ fields of Central India to evaluate irrigation water quality, hydrogeochemical characteristics, and the impact of irrigation water on soil properties. Irrigation water quality was assessed through the analysis of various parameters including pH, EC, TDS, TH, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Cl⁻, SO₄²⁻, CO₃²⁻, HCO₃⁻, SAR, Na%, RSC, MHR, KR, PI, PS, and RSBC. This indicated that irrigation water pH (47.61%), K⁺ (7.14%), and Mg²⁺ (1.19%) samples exceeded the FAO standards for safe use in agriculture. Poor irrigation water quality was primarily attributed to high values of PI, KR, MHR, RSC, and PS. Hydrogeochemical analysis classified the irrigation water as Ca-Mg-HCO₃⁻ type, suggesting dominance of silicate weathering and ion exchange processes. Soil samples were analyzed for pH, EC, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, and K⁺ and key findings revealed that 55.57% of soil samples had pH levels and 4.76% had EC levels exceeding USDA soil quality standards. A correlation study between irrigation water and soil parameters demonstrated a positive relationship between soil sodium (Na) and irrigation water sodium (Na), indicating early signs of sodium accumulation in soil, which could threaten soil sustainability in the future due to the use of poor-quality irrigation water.