Impact of Implementation of Large-Scale Drip Irrigation in Arid and Semi-arid Areas: Case Study of Manas River Valley

With the large-scale application of drip irrigation under mulching, drip-irrigated areas have experienced significant changes in the past 10 years in the Manas River valley. Based on long-term monitoring data of soil salt content and groundwater depth and the investigation of shelter forest growth and seedling emergence, this article analyzed the distribution characteristics of soil salt content in different drip-irrigated soil layers and their effect on the environment. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) Two obvious soil layers of salt accumulation are 40-80 cm deep after drip irrigation and 0-5 cm deep before drip irrigation. (2) Salt accumulated in different soil layers after drip irrigation for several years: 0-40 cm and 40-100 cm deep after drip irrigation for 3 and 7 years respectively. (3) Extension of the drip-irrigated area has caused a number of environmental problems in the study area, and countermeasures for agricultural development in arid and semi-arid areas are proposed.