Salinity in Calcarosols occurs through the presence of sodium, chloride, bicarbonate and sulfate ions, is caused by sodicity, and leads to decreased osmotic potential

Edward G. Barrett-Lennard; Geoffrey C. Anderson; Rushna Munir; David J. M. Hall; Glen Riethmuller; Wayne Parker

doi:10.1071/SR24185

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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Salinity in Calcarosols occurs through the presence of sodium, chloride, bicarbonate and sulfate ions, is caused by sodicity, and leads to decreased osmotic potential

Edward G. Barrett-Lennard

^A ^B ^* , Geoffrey C. Anderson

^C , Rushna Munir ^D , David J. M. Hall

^E , Glen Riethmuller ^D and Wayne Parker ^F

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, South Perth, WA 6151, Australia.

^B Centre for Sustainable Farming Systems, Food Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia.

^C Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, 75 York Road, Northam, WA 6401, Australia.

^D Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Great Eastern Highway, (PO Box 432), Merredin, WA 6415, Australia.

^E Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, PMB 50, Melijinup Road, Esperance, WA 6450, Australia.

^F Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, 20 Gregory Street (PO Box 110), Geraldton, WA 6530, Australia.

^* Correspondence to: ed.barrett-lennard@dpird.wa.gov.au

Handling Editor: Nick Dickinson

Soil Research 63, SR24185 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR24185

Submitted: 15 October 2024 Accepted: 8 April 2025 Published: 1 May 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

Context

Salinity occurs in sodic soils in Australia, but its effect in Western Australia is poorly understood.

Aims

We determined the cause of salinity, the ions responsible, and their potential significance as constraints to crop growth on sodic soils at Merredin and Moorine Rock.

Methods

Soil was collected from 76 profiles to depths of 1.0–1.4 m (388 samples). Samples were analysed for EC_1:5, pH, texture, and exchangeable and soluble ions.

Results

Exchangeable cations were best calculated as the difference between total cations (determined from BaCl₂/NH₄Cl extracts) and soluble ions (determined from water-soluble extracts). Profiles showed increasing sodicity, alkalinity and salinity with depth. The major soluble cation responsible for salinity was Na⁺; the major soluble anions were Cl⁻, HCO₃⁻, SO₄²⁻, and CO₃²⁻. High salinity in subsoils (depth > 0.2 m) was strongly correlated with dispersive charge (adj. R² = 0.73). Osmotic potentials were calculated for two levels of gravimetric soil water, the water content of the soils at sampling, or assuming 30% (dry mass basis) soil water. At Moorine Rock, soils mostly had osmotic potentials less than −1.5 MPa. Increasing soil water content to 30% made osmotic potentials less negative. At Merredin, there was strong stratification of osmotic potentials; surface soils mostly had osmotic potentials between 0 and −0.5 MPa, but subsoils mostly had osmotic potentials between −1.0 and −1.5 MPa.

Conclusions

Crop growth in these landscapes is likely to be constrained by salinity, particularly in dry years.

Keywords: calcareous soil, clay dispersion, clay mineralogy, exchangeable cations, salinity, sodicity, soil alkalinity, soil chemistry, soluble anions, soluble cations.

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