Spatial and Seasonal Variability of Irrigation Water Quality and Its Influence on Soil Physicochemical Properties
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55863/ijees.2026.0966Keywords:
Agroecosystem, Biogeochemical processes, Environmental monitoring, Nutrient dynamics, River basin, Salinity, Seasonal variationAbstract
Irrigation water quality is an important factor in regulating soil chemical processes and long-term agricultural sustainability. The study evaluated the spatio-temporal variability of selected irrigation water quality parameters and their relationships with soil nutrient dynamics in the Chite River watershed of Northeast India. Water and soil samples were collected at 5 sites from winter 2022 to autumn 2023 across 4 seasons. Water samples were analyzed for pH, electrical conductivity (EC), nitrite, phosphate and cadmium. Soil samples from three depths were analysed for pH, EC, available nitrogen, available phosphorus, and cadmium. Two-way ANOVA showed significant spatial variations in water EC, nitrite, and phosphate, and seasonal variations in nitrite, phosphate, and cadmium. Three-way ANOVA showed that some soil properties, particularly pH, EC and available nutrients, varied significantly with space and seasons. Regression analysis indicated a positive relationship between irrigation water phosphate and soil available phosphorus, suggesting that irrigation water may contribute to phosphorus transfer to soils. In contrast, nitrite in irrigation water showed a negative relationship with available soil nitrogen, suggesting that internal biogeochemical processes may influence soil nitrogen availability. These results underscore the importance of irrigation water quality in shaping soil nutrient dynamics and emphasise the need for integrated water-soil monitoring to ensure sustainable irrigation management.
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