1 Agricultural University of Tirana, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Tirana, Albania
2 Agricultural University of Tirana, Faculty of Agriculture and Environment, Department of Environment and Natural Resource Management, Tirana, Albania
3 The University of Texas at Arlington, College of Science, Department of Mathematics, Arlington, Texas, United States
4 Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Temple Research and Extension Center, Temple, Texas, United States
Abstract
Raised mounds, drip irrigation, and plastic mulch are commonly used to improve the root zone conditions in orchards affected by salt. However, their success depends on how salt spreads between mounds, and inter-mounds, as well deeper soil layers. This study focuses on a 50-hectare section of a 100-hectare pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) orchard in the Karavasta coastal lowland of Albania. Proximal/remote sensing and digital elevation models were used to derive salinity indices and terrain attributes for initial stratification. A DualEM-1S electromagnetic induction mapping, Delta-T W.E.T. field measurements, and laboratory electrical-conductivity tests of 1:5 soil-water extracts were conducted. DualEM readings were calibrated separately for raised mounds and inter-mounds and a spatial detailed maps was developed using Empirical Bayesian Kriging and regression-kriging at depths of 0β30 and 0β100 cm. W.E.T. sensor measurements revealed a clear contrast between managed and native (structural) salinity areas. The median electrical conductivity (EC) was 237.5 mS m-1 on mounds and 862.0 mS m-1 in inter-rows (P=0.002). Soil moisture and temperature did not show significant differences. The cross-validation of EBK maps was high (R2=0.93-0.99; RMSE=22.6β73.1 mS m-1). For the inter-mounds areas 42 and 45% of the area were saline or extremely saline at both 0-30 and 0β100 cm depths. In contrast, for the mounds 100% were non-saline at 0β30 cm and 89% non-saline at 0β100 cm. These results show that raised mounds can reduce salt levels in the active root zone, but they do not eliminate deeper and lateral salt. The results indicate that a combination of depth-specific monitoring, different leaching strategies and spatially detailed maps are needed for precision management of the salinity in pomegranate orchards in the study area.
Keywords
Coastal salinity,Management zones,Precision agriculture,Remote sensing,Vegetation indices
How to Cite
KULLAJ, E., SEMA , X., MICI , E., HUQI, F., KRISTO , I., WINZELER , E., & ADHIKARI, K. (2026). Mapping Soil Salinity Across Raised Mounds and Inter-Row Areas to Delineate Precision Irrigation Zones in a Salt-Affected Pomegranate Orchard. MAS Journal of Applied Sciences, 11(3), 508β523. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21418501
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