![]() Water in this category has a conductivity of less than 2.5 millimhos/cm. Salinity levels are expressed as categories based on conductivity.Ĭategory C-1 represents a low salinity hazard. Major factors in determining water quality are its salinity and sodium contents. The results of the test will determine if the water is suitable for irrigation or reveal if any special tactics will be required to overcome quality deficiencies. ![]() The instructions for testing and the testing results may be obtained from the Texas AgriLife Extension Service or an independent water lab. Prior to implementing an irrigation system, the water source should be tested for water quality. Not all water is suitable for use as an irrigation source. ![]() Plants with insufficient water respond by closing the stomata, leaf rolling, changing leaf orientation and reducing leaf and stem growth and fruit yield. Water is a primary yield-determining factor in crop production. It is important also in cooling the surfaces of land plants by transpiration. Water is an essential component in photosynthesis and plant metabolism, including cell division and enlargement. It is the primary medium for chemical reactions and movement of substances through the various plant parts. Water is required for the normal physiological processes of all plants. Evapotranspiration rates vary and are influenced by day length, temperature, cloud cover, wind, relative humidity, mulching, and the type, size and number of plants growing in a given area. These two processes are called evapotranspiration. The total water requirement is the amount of water lost from the plant plus the amount evaporated from the soil. This continual loss of water called transpiration, causes the plant to wilt unless a constant supply of soil water is provided by absorption through the roots. Leaves have thousands of microscopic openings, called stomates, through which water vapor is lost from the plant. ![]() Once enough water is applied to move the wetting front into the root zone, moisture is absorbed by plant roots and moves up through the stem to the leaves and fruits. If only one-half the amount of water required for healthy growth of your garden or landscape is applied at a given time, it only penetrates the top half of the root zone the area below the point where the wetting front stops remains dry as if no irrigation has been applied at all. Water moves downward through a sandy coarse soil much faster then through a fine-textured soil such as clay or silt. This water movement is referred to as the wetting front. Each layer of soil must be filled to “field capacity” before water descends to the next layer. When water is applied to the soil it seeps down through the root zone very gradually. ![]()
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